


Silver's Skater Girl

by gothchic6



Category: Pocket Monsters: HeartGold & SoulSilver | Pokemon HeartGold & SoulSilver Versions
Genre: F/F, F/M, GingerHeadMan, Grandparents & Grandchildren, Jouto-chihou | Johto Region (Pokemon), M/M, Past Child Abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:47:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 90,511
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23754088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gothchic6/pseuds/gothchic6
Summary: "... Humph! Useless Pokémon! Listen, you. You only won because my Pokémon were weak", he assured me. I don't believe it. "Yeah, right. Your Pokémon are fine. You're the only one on your team that's weak." Silver meets Calypso, a runaway from Cianwood City. They have a love/hate relationship. Silver/OC. Rated M because of language/violence/mature themes. Current Status: Active
Relationships: Joui | Nurse Joy/Junsar | Officer Jenny, Lyra (Pokemon)/Original Female Character(s), Poke Maniac Donald/Super Nerd Eric, Silver (Pokemon)/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 3





	1. Calypso Aspen Primrose Bio

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon, or any characters associated with Pokémon.

Character Bio:

Name: Calypso Aspen Primrose

Age: 17

Looks: Calypso is average height, around 5'5 or 5'6. She is slender, but very stable and lean. She has chestnut brown hair that is in a short pixie cut. She has many scars from doing stupid stuff. Her eyes are small, and are the color of amethyst. She normally wears green camouflage shorts, a purple t-shirt, a vintage brown vest that she picked up at a garage sale, and black combat boots.

Personality: Calypso is very active, and often has a hyper streak. She doesn't take crap from anyone, and likes to pick fights with people. More often then not, she wins, but will admit defeat when she knows she really lost. She loves to skateboard. On her skateboard, she is very agile and stable, but with regular walking, she is very klutzy. She is nice to the people she likes, and often openly cusses out people she doesn't like. She is really blunt, and has been known to accidently make little kids cry.

Background: Calypso is originally from Cianwood City. She lived with her grandma, the old lady in the house to the north of Cianwood (Next to where the player would encounter Suicune). When she was 11, she wanted to go on a Pokémon journey, but her grandma wouldn't let her, and would keep her locked up in the house to make sure she couldn't get out. Calypso would try to get out often, but would get caught every time because of her klutziness. Her grandma broke her skateboard every time she did, so by the time she was 12, she learned not to openly try to escape. Her grandma started trusting her more afterwards, and she would get rewards for her "good behavior". Occasionally, her grandma would let her skateboard outside of the house, and Calypso eventually made a friend of the pharmacy guy, and was enemies with the rest of the kids in Cianwood. Calypso was kept locked up until her 17th birthday, with occasional unsupervised breaks, when she begged her grandma to let her spend time with her friend, the pharmacy guy. Grandma said yes, and Calypso took that opportunity to escape. She had all of the stuff that she needed in her backpack, and met up with pharmacy guy at the seashore in southern Cianwood. He had had a friend of his send a ferry for her to New Bark Town, and for her birthday, he gave her her first Pokémon, a Murkrow. She then took off for New Bark Town.

Skills: Skateboarding, lying, cooking, martial arts, fighting, arguing, making people trust her, and eventually, Pokémon battling, training, and catching.

Weaknesses: Sneaking around, getting along with people her own age, doing anything that requires delicate handling, Pokémon trading, and Pokémon contests.

Current Pokémon:

Spirit (Murkrow);

Female

Level 5

Ability: Insomnia

Moves: Peck, Astonish, Pursuit, Faint Attack (Egg Move).


	2. I Meet Professor Elm and a Redhead Jerk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Calypso, a newbie runaway Trainer from Cianwood City meets Professor Elm, and gets her starter Pokemon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2nd Chapter up! So Calypso meets Professor Elm, and gets her second Pokémon. And she also meets a certain guy who pisses her off!

Disclaimer:

So Calypso gets to do the disclaimer!

Calypso: Yeah, yeah, gothchic6 doesn't own Pokémon, or any characters associated with Pokémon. She technically owns me, but in reality, I own her.

gothchic6: You do not! Now, onto the story!

I meet Professor Elm and a Redheaded Jerk:

"I am finally away from her! Thank Arceus", I say as I take in my surroundings. New Bark Town is very quaint and peaceful, but not very exciting. It's a good thing that I don't live in this town, or it would be complete chaos.

My skateboard crunches the leaves on the ground as I head to the Elm Pokémon Laboratory. PG (Pharmacy Guy. That's my nickname for him.) told me to go Elm's to get another Pokémon. I mean, I already have Spirit, my Murkrow, but I hope Elm has some weird Pokémon that can join my team, too. Besides, Spirit needs some company of the Pokémon persuasion.

Wow. The largest building in town is Elm's Lab. I am about to go in, when I see a guy looking into a window on the side of the lab. Kind of creepy, the way he's looking in. I go over to talk to him. But as soon as I take one step over towards him, I accidently trip and fall, landing face first on the ground.

The loud noise I made grabs the guy's attention. He looks in my direction, and I can finally see him clearly. He has long bright red hair- and when I say red, I mean bright red, like the color of a cherry. His skin is pale, and unblemished. He's about 3 inches taller than me, and looks my age. His features are sharp, and make him look menacing. I can see his eyes from here; they are a steely silver color, and are currently narrowed. The guy must be Goth or emo, or something, because he's dressed in all black. Black cargo pants, a black jacket, and boots similar to mine, but without a lot of the spikes that mine have. He's an intimidating individual, I can tell you that. But nothing really scares me, except really long shopping sprees at department stores. Gran took me to the one in Goldenrod once. It was terrible.

I hastily get back up on my feet, and lock eyes with the redheaded stranger. "What are you staring at", he asks. I am about to answer with a sarcastic reply, but then he pushes me back onto the ground. I can't see him, but his footsteps tell me that he went back over to his stalker window.

I jump back up, fuming with anger. I so want to punch this guy's face in. But if Professor Elm finds me fighting- and believe me, he will, I'm loud- he might not give me a Pokémon. So I swallow up my anger for now, and walk into the lab.

Elm's lab is just full of all kind of scientific things that I would probably break by just touching them. I seem to be very accident-prone, except when I'm skateboarding.

I walk to the back of the lab, where a tall, thin man is looking over something I can't see. "Are you Professor Elm?" The man totally flips out when I touch his shoulder, and almost drops what I think is a Pokémon egg. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you! I just came to get a starter Pokémon", I say apologetically. "It's okay. Nothing broke. I am Professor Elm. I assume you are Calypso", he asks. "Yeah, PG told you I was coming?" "Yes, he did. Let me go get my starter Pokémon…"

I squeal inwardly as Elm goes to a machine and takes out 3 Pokéballs. He comes back, and lets the three Pokémon out. "Here are Chikorita, Totodile, and Cyndaquil. They've been waiting for a trainer to take them for a while. They are all pretty good Pokémon, but they also have their quirks, as well", Elm explains.

The first Pokémon appears to be a Grass type. It looks like a little lime green dinosaur with a giant leaf on its head. It smiles at me, and I smile back.

The second Pokémon is a little blue alligator, probably a Water type. It doesn't seem to like me much. When I gaze at it, it growls at me.

The third Pokémon isn't as girly as the first one, but doesn't look as bloodthirsty as the second one. I think its name is Cyndaquil. It looks like a little hedgehog without the quills. I grin at it, and it grins back widely. Then, all of a sudden, flames sprout up from its back. My eyes widen. Definitely a Fire type.

"I want that one", I exclaim, pointing to the Cyndaquil. "Ah, yes, Cyndaquil, the fire type. A very good choice. This one happens to be female", Elm tells me. "How about a name for you…. Cyndi! It's cute, but not too girly, and it is similar to your species name!" The Cyndaquil grins in happiness. "Thanks Professor Elm!" "You're welcome!"

The Pokémon who I believe is called Chikorita looks so disappointed, that it almost breaks my heart. I look into the Chikorita's eyes. "It's alright, Chikorita. I'm sure some awesome trainer will come and take you with them. I'll be coming back here in a few weeks, anyway, and if you're still here, I'll take you with me. How does that sound?" Chikorita looks at me, and nods. I pat her head affectionately.

I hear a sound of whining coming from the Totodile. I stupidly go to try and reassure it, and it tries to bite my hand. While Elm isn't looking, I whisper to it, "There's a redheaded guy right outside the lab. He's like you: Cold, mean, rude, and vicious. He should be your trainer. You two would scare off any bug catcher or other trainer just by the looks you two give them." I walk away from it before it can do anything to hurt me.

I go to leave with Cyndi at my side, when Elm asks me to come back. "Calypso, do you have a Pokégear?" "Poké what?" Elm sighs, and says, "I guess PG couldn't afford a Pokégear for you… here, I think I have an extra one in the back…" I stop him before he goes to look for it. "What is a Pokégear?" Elm says, "Pokégear is a wrist watch that can be a phone, a map, a watch, and a radio all in one. But most Pokégears start out with just the Phone and Watch, like this one. You can get the other two from department stores, special events, or even meeting certain people. I would give you the other two if I wasn't out…" I smile brightly, and hug Elm. "Thank you! I don't care if I don't have all of them! Just the fact that I couldn't normally buy something basic for trainers like this, and you giving it to me for free is enough!" "You're welcome, Calypso. I put my number into the phone in case we need to talk. I also gave you PG's numbers, both mobile and home", he says. "Well, I think I should be going, bye Professor!" "Goodbye, Calypso, be safe."

I run out of the lab, with Cyndi at my side. I pass by the rude redhead who is still stalking Professor Elm. He must have seen the whole thing between Elm and I. He stares at me as I skateboard past him. I remember his words from before, and echo them back at him, "What are you staring at?" Then, I skate past him into Route 29 before he has a chance to say anything.


	3. I Kick Butt, Make An Enemy, And Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Professor Elm gets to do the Disclaimer!
> 
> Professor Elm: gothchic6 doesn't own Pokémon, and does not make any money off of this. But she does own Calypso.
> 
> Calypso: How many times do I have to tell you, I am not owned by anyone!
> 
> gothchic6: Yes, you are. I own you, which would be illegal if you were a real person. But you're not, so…
> 
> Calypso: *Punches nearby tree, and makes all of the bark fall off of the trunk*
> 
> Professor Elm: Calypso, don't hurt nature!
> 
> gothchic6: Calypso! Now look what you did!
> 
> Calypso: *Stomps off*

We are now walking into Route 29. I see a secluded spot over by some trees, and decide that it would be a great place to introduce Cyndi to Spirit. Cyndi and I go over to the spot.

"Okay, Cyndi, I'm going to introduce you to my other Pokémon, Spirit. She's kinda timid, so if she attacks you for no reason, it's because she's never been in this kind of area before, and has never met any other Pokémon ", I explain. Cyndi nods, and prepares herself by hiding herself in a bush so Spirit won't know she's there right away.

I let out Spirit, who has been in her Pokéball for about 2 hours now. She looks glad to be out; she's flapping her wings excitedly, and surveying her surroundings. "Hey, Spirit! How are you, girl?" Spirit chirps happily, while perching on tree branch near my head. "I guess you like our new scenery? When you think about it, a sunny, sandy place like Cianwood is no place for a forest dwelling Pokémon like you." Spirit nods, and plucks a berry off of the branch she's sitting on. I like berries. They are natural Pokémon food that you don't have to pay for. The one that Spirit's eating now looks like one of those Leppa Berries.

"Okay, Spirit, don't freak out, but we have a new member on our team." Spirit looks towards me, interest in her eyes. "You ready to meet our newest member?" Spirit swallows the Leppa Berry, flies over onto my shoulder, and makes a squawking noise that I assume to be yes.

"Cyndi, come on out!" Cyndi walks out of the bush, and over to Spirit and I. Spirit jumps off my shoulder, and right in front of Cyndi. The two are having an epic stare down that I could never do myself because of my nonexistent attention span. It lasts for about 30 seconds before Spirit makes a clucking noise, and extends her wing to Cyndi. Cyndi grabs a hold of it with her paw, and they shake. Awww, it's like a initiation ceremony!

"Now that we're all acquainted, let's go train!" I run off into the grass, with both Cyndi and Spirit following me.

After about 2 minutes of running through the tall grass, a Rattata jumps out. It attempts to tackle Cyndi. "Cyndi, look out for the Rattata!" Cyndi manages to dodge it. "Use leer!" Cyndi glares at the Rattata, making it nervous, and less defensive. "Now, use your tackle attack!" Cyndi pretty much jumps on top of the poor creature. She sits on it until it stops struggling. "Yay, Cyndi, you defeated your first Pokémon!" Cyndi and I do a very elaborate victory dance.

I barely have time to look over towards Spirit, when a Pidgey flies out from behind a tree, and sends a gust towards her. "Spirit, watch out!" She doesn't hear me early enough, and gets hit dead on. "Spirit, are you okay?" She recovers from the gust quickly, and nods. "Okay, Spirit, use Faint Attack!" Spirit fades into darkness, and while the Pidgey is looking for her, she strikes. It's a critical hit! The Pidgey faints. "Yeah! Yay Spirit! You just kicked the crap out of your first Pokémon!" Spirit chirps in both pride and amusement.

So Spirit, Cyndi, and I go through Route 29, beating up any wild Pokémon stupid enough to come less than 2 feet away from us. All of us are tired by the time we get to Cherrygrove. Not to mention, hungry. My stomach makes that Wailord mating call noise that annoys me so much. I look over to Cyndi and Spirit, and sure enough, both of their stomachs are growling, too. "Hungry?" They both nod. "Let's go find the Pokémon Center."

It takes us five minutes to find the Pokémon Center. When we get there, it's already dark. "Come on, chicks, get into your Pokéballs. Nurse Joy needs to heal you guys. Then we'll get a room for the night, and some food. Sound good?" They both grin and nod.

They go back into their Pokéballs, and I walk into the building. I hear a grunt coming from behind the counter, but no one is there. "Welcome to the Pokémon Center. I'll be with you in just a moment", the voice says, from who I realize must be one of the many Nurse Joys. I walk to the counter and look behind it, only to see Nurse Joy's behind. "You're really lucky there's not a hormonal teenaged pervert here, because if there was, he would have seen quite a sight." She jumps up, a blush on her face, and profusely apologizes. "Hey, it's okay, you didn't know. Just try and wear some shorts under that dress, unless you want people staring at your undies", I suggest to her. She chuckles, and I can see that she's younger than most Nurse Joys. Probably a year or two older than me. "Thanks. Now what can I help you with", she asks me.

I hand her the Pokéballs containing Spirit and Cyndi. "I need you to heal these two, and I need a room for the night." She takes the Pokéballs, and puts them in the healing machine. Within a few seconds, they are healed. "Here you go. They're all healed. As for the room, you'll have to share with someone else, we are so busy at the moment", she says. "How much will it cost", I ask, hoping I will have enough. "Well, normally it would be a fee of 300 dollars, but since you told me about my little panty problem, I'll take a third of it off." "Really? Thanks!" "No problem. Here, follow me", she says as she starts to walk down a narrow hallway. I follow her.

On the way to the room, I ask her a question I've always wanted answered. "Are all of the Nurse Joys really named Joy?" She giggles, and says, "You know, you're the first person to ask me that. But, yes, we are all named Joy. But we all have nicknames to tell each other apart, for times when there is more one Nurse Joy in the same area", she explains. "Ah, that makes sense… What's your nickname?" She smiles. "It's JC. For Joy Cameron." "Cool, JC, my name's Calypso." "That's an interesting name", she tells me. "Yeah, I think my mom was drunk when she named me." JC laughs.

JC opens the door to a room that has stuff in it, but no people. "Another girl is staying in this room with you. She's out with friends at the moment, but when she comes back, I'll tell her that she's sharing with you." JC makes a strange expression, almost as if she wants to say something, but doesn't think it would be appropriate.

"Hey, I know you wanna say something, so just say it." JC looks to see if anyone is nearby, and pulls me behind the counter. "I don't normally talk to or talk about customers like this. In fact, it's against my rules as a nurse", she looks at me nervously, "but I couldn't live with myself if I didn't warn you about…", she pauses to grimace, "Monica." "What's the deal with this girl, Monica", I ask, not really caring that both of us are breaking nurse rules. "Well… let's just say she's not the most pleasant of people." "Why, what did she do?"

JC grimaces again. "Well, when she first came in, she was with a group of about 5 other people, and they were all talking obnoxiously. I told them to quiet down, because there were people and Pokémon who were trying to rest, and they just started to laugh at me! One of the guys told me to", she whispers so that only I can hear her, "fuck off. It was so rude, I just wanted to throw something at him!"

I am astonished. "Couldn't you kick them out of the Pokémon Center?" She shook her head. "Actually, I'm just a fill-in for the Nurse Joy who normally works here, my cousin, Jojo. I'm normally at the Pokémon Center on Route 32. You see, the guy who runs this Pokémon Center is a greedy guy who lets anyone stay here, regardless of their behavior. If he gets a whiff of any kind of complaint, I'll get yelled at, and the person gets a free gift card to one of the restaurants nearby. I can't win."

I just stare at her in disbelief. "This place really needs new management." She laughs mirthlessly. "I haven't even told you what Monica did yet." "What did she do?" Well, when I told her I wouldn't give her service, she yelled at me, and that woke some of the baby Pokémon up. The boss walked in, and asked what was going on. Needless to say, she ratted me out, I got yelled at and had to calm down baby Pokémon, and she got a free gift card. She's at the restaurant right now, spending it. She's the worst customer I've had in a long time."

"Tell you what, JC. When I go in there, I'll set up a nice surprise for our girl, Monica. They can't prove it was me. That way, you'll get your revenge, and I'll get a laugh out of it." She looks at me with both disbelief and excitement. "You would really do that?! Oh my Arceus, I would be your friend for eternity", she says with gratitude. I grin at her, and say, "With all that's been talked about, you're already my friend, JC."

So while waiting for the beast known as Monica, I set up my stuff, and start setting up her prank. I always keep things like hair dye and hot sauce in my bag in case someone needs to be taught a lesson. I bought the green hair dye at Goldenrod Department Store, and I stole the hot sauce from Gran. They will do nicely. I painted some of the hot sauce onto some Cinnamon Gum she has in her bag. Then I put the green hair dye inside the salon quality shampoo she has.

I see two Pokéballs on the table, so I let the Pokémon out. A small honey colored bear Pokémon with a crescent moon on it's head, and a little floating grey Ghost Pokémon with awesome crazy hair come out. I stare at them, and they stare at me. Then, the bear attacks me. "Ow! Quit!" The ghost goes in front of me, and stops the bear from clawing my face off. "Thanks." She smiled at me.

"So you two like Monica? Is she a good trainer?" The bear glares at me, and nods. But the ghost shakes her head frantically, and makes a bunch of noises to try and communicate. But I can't understand her. She goes over to a picture of Monica and repeatedly beats her head against it. Okay, we'll play charades. "Ummm… she gives you a headache?" She shakes her head, and points to herself and to her, and starts banging her head against the picture again. "Uh… Oh my Arceus, she doesn't hit you, does she?" The ghost nods, and starts to cry. I hold her, and from this point on, I promise to make Monica's life a living hell in anyway I can.

"Do you want to come with me? I have a Dusk Ball right here, if you want to." The Pokémon lets out a cry of relief, the first sound she's made since I let her out. She rubs her head against the Dusk ball, and I let her onto my team. "So, what should your name be? How about Dusk?" She lets out a little shout of glee, and thus, is now Dusk.

I let out Cyndi and Spirit, and tell them what happened since they went into their Pokéballs. They both smirk, and I introduce them to Dusk. They all like each other. Now, we wait.

It is about another half hour before I hear yelling in the lobby. "What do you mean I have to share a room?! Get that girl out, I don't want to share with another chick", a loud, nasally voice screeches. I walk out to the lobby, and I see a girl who is the opposite of everything I stand for. She has long, curly beach blonde hair. Her eyes are bubble gum pink. Eew. Her face is plastered with makeup, she has sunglasses on her head, and she's wearing all kinds of designer jewelry. Not to mention the extremely short shorts, and her low cut tank top, which obviously contains implants. The only thing that's clean about her is her red flip-flops. Yep, from the contents in her bag, that's definitely Monica. No wonder Dusk doesn't like her, she looks like a nightmare. Not to mention, her personality.

I walk up to them, and pull out the Swiss Army knife that I stole from Gran. I start to clean my insanely dirty fingernails with it. "Is there a problem here?" Monica looks at my knife with an apprehensive glance, but still manages to say something. "And who are you? This is a private conversation", she responds, her voice getting more nasally with each word she speaks.

"I'm the chick you have to share your room with. If you're nice, I won't have to shove my foot up your ass." She looks scared. That's good. She walks over toward JC and the counter. "You can't make me share a room with this freak. She'll kill me while I'm sleeping", Monica pleads with JC. "Sorry, but there's no other rooms open, and she hasn't given us any reason as to why we should kick her out." JC puts on a professional tone, but I can tell she's screaming with laughter on the inside.

Monica towards both of us, her gaze lingering on me a little longer. "Remember, be nice, and no one will get hurt", I assure her. When she realizes she isn't going to get a better deal, and that this is the only inn in Cherrygrove, she accepts. She goes back to our room, and I go talk to JC over by the counter.

"Oh my Arceus, that was hilarious. Was that the prank?" "No", I admit, "she's in for much more. By the way, she had a Pokémon that told me that Monica abuses it." JC gasps. "That's horrible!" I nod. "I know, I took her with me. See the Dusk Ball on my belt? She is so relieved to be free of Monica." "I should probably say something about this, but ultimately, you did the right thing, so I'm partially okay with it."

So JC, my Pokémon, and I go into JC's private quarters. It's around 11 pm, so JC's shift is over. She cooks us a nice meal. Then, I hear screaming from my old room, which I had removed my stuff from and vacated as soon as Monica got into the shower. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SHAMPOO!?" Both of us giggle, and I hear a door slam open. "WHERE IS THAT MISERABLE PUNK GOTH WANNABE?!" We both giggle again as we hear people from other rooms start to tell her to shut the fuck up. Many doors slam, and with one last "Arrrgh", and one more door slam, the entire building is silent.


	4. I Steal From The Thief

I sleep in JC's personal quarters that night. At around 7am, just before everyone else in the Pokémon Center gets up, JC wakes me up.

"Nnnn, no, go away."

"Come on, Calypso, wake up. The boss can't find out you slept here, or I will get fired, or even worse, my nursing license will get taken away."

This makes me wake up in a hurry. "Sorry, I'm just kinda tired."

She smirks, and says, "That's cool. You did me an awesome favor last night. I got you some stuff while you were sleeping to make up for that."

She pulls out a box, and a little microchip. "What are those", I inquire.

She opens the box, and inside are the coolest looking shoe insoles I have ever seen. They have a black, green, and purple swirl pattern.

"You know those running shoes that people have been talking about?"

I have to think for a moment. Gran never let me watch much TV, but when I would occasionally be let out on my own, one of the Cianwood kids would always be bragging about something they got from their grandparents or their uncle back in Kanto or Sinnoh, or whatever. Well, when one kid gets something that isn't sold in Cianwood, it always becomes a huge trend because Cianwood lacks any good retail stores. I think the running shoes were the biggest trend back before I ran away. But I'm not going to tell JC that. Not yet.

"Kinda. I've heard about them, I think."

"Well, this isn't known among many people, but it's not the shoes themselves that allow you to run so fast, it's the insoles! My aunt got me some for my birthday, but they aren't quite my style. I noticed how much you love your combat boots, so I got the special insoles for them."

I am just flabbergasted. What is with people and giving me free stuff today? Well, it would be rude to not accept it.

"Oh my Arceus, thank you! You're right, I always wear these boots, but they are really hard to run or push off my skateboard from. Here, let me try them on."

I put the special insoles in my boots, and I can just feel the energy that the insoles give my feet. Plus, they fit perfectly.

"What shoe size are you? I'm a eleven, so your feet have to be big", JC implies.

"Yeah, I have size eleven Sasquatch feet, too. Thanks, JC!"

"No prob. I also have this", she pulls out the microchip again, "for your Pokégear. You don't have the map, yet, do you?"

I hug her tightly, like I did to Professor Elm. "No, I don't. Thanks to you, I won't be getting lost in any forests, or be eaten by any vicious Bug Pokémon."

She blushes, and says, "It's no big deal. You still have to pay your inn fee, though."

"Oh yeah, here." I pull out 300 dollars, and give it to her.

"I thought I told you it was only 200?"

"Then think of the last 100 as a tip."

She smiles, and thanks me.

"Hey, give me your Pokégear. I'll install that chip, and I'll put my number in here. You're my friend now, that's what friends do, right?"

I snort, and respond, "Well, considering you're only my second friend, and I have the other friend's number in there, I assume so."

We both laugh, and soon we're in joyful tears.

"Well, I should get out of here before someone sees me. I'll call you up if anything important goes on."

"Okay, I'll see you."

I step carefully over everything to get out of the Pokémon Center. I am expecting to fall any moment, but the new insoles seem to give me the balance I've never had before. I can actually walk everywhere without falling!

I am almost to the door, when I hear a familiar nasally voice.

"You are going to pay for spiking my shampoo, and for stealing Jessica", a newly green haired Monica spits at me.

Who the fuck is Jessica? Oh, yeah, Dusk, the abused Misdreavus that I stole. God, what a sickeningly girly name for such a cool Pokémon.

"Oh, really, how do you think that's going to happen? You have no proof that I did either of those things. You know I can kick the shit out of you physically. What are you going to do, bedazzle me to death?"

She pretty much snarls at me, "A one on one Pokémon battle. On the beach. You win, you get to keep Jessica, and I'll shave my head. If I win, you have to give Jessica back, and pay for the damage done to my hair. Deal?"

I am so tempted to take her offer, but I have never battled against someone before. And, besides, I don't have enough money to pay for that.

"Normally, I would, but you're just not worth it. If you still want to fight, though, call me up sometime."

I give her my number, and this just infuriates her even more. Sometimes, it's not the physical fights that are the most satisfying, it's truly pissing someone off that's hilarious. And that's exactly what this case is.

"You'll regret ever messing with me, you will."

She goes to chew a piece of gum, but she screams when it touches her tongue.

"Ahhh! My tong, my tong, ith's on thire", she yells.

I just laugh, and walk out the door.

As soon as I do, I hear my Pokégear ringing. It's Professor Elm.

"Hey, Professor."

"Calypso, I need you to do me a favor. An acquaintance of mine, Mr. Pokémon, called me, and told me that he has made other discovery. It's probably just another Pokémon egg, but I'm too busy to go get it. Could you go get it for me? His house is on Route 30, past Cherrygrove City."

"Yeah, I can do that. I am going that way anyway, and I have the map thing for my Pokégear now. Don't ask; it's a long story."

"Thanks, Calypso. Just bring it back after you get it."

"Okay, I'm on it. I'll see you sometime today, Professor."

"Thank you. Be safe. Goodbye."

"Bye."

I end the call, and get on my skateboard. Insoles, or no insoles, I'm still riding this thing. I also let out all three of my Pokémon, so they can train while we go there. I step off, and off we go into Route 30.

There are different Pokémon on Route 30, but none that really spark my interest. Cyndi, Spirit, and Dusk just keep fighting them, with my guidance every now and then.

Cyndi has just defeated a Pidgey, and then a Rattata comes out of the grass to challenge her. I am about to tell her to use her Tackle attack, when the flames on her back rise up, and she lets out this small ball of fire that leaves me amazed, and the Rattata fainted on the ground.

"Cyndi, you know Ember!"

"Cynda, Cyndaquil."

I grin. We finally have that firepower I was looking for.

Meanwhile, both Spirit and Dusk are tag-teaming against a pair of Kakuna. Spirit lands on critical hit Peck on one of them, and it goes down. Dusk uses this move that I'm not quite sure what it is. She attacks the other Kakuna, and causes damage to it, but while she does it, she screams so it doesn't have a chance to defend itself.

Both Kakunas are down, and we are almost to Mr. Pokémon's house. I can see the door from here.

We are finally there, and I can feel the anticipation. I open the door, and see two older men. One is wearing a suit, and has a beard, while the other has nicely groomed gray hair, and wears a lab coat like Professor Elm's.

"You must be Calypso. Professor Elm told me you were coming. I am Mr. Pokémon. And this is Professor Oak, but you have heard of him, I suppose?"

I nod. Everyone knows who Professor Oak is.

"I see Professor Elm has given you a starter Pokémon. May I see that Pokémon, please", the man who I now know as Professor Oak asks me. I nod. As I go to let out Cyndi, all three of my Pokémon pop out.

"Oh, I'm sorry, these two just like to meet people, too."

He doesn't respond, but is instead looking at all three of them.

"You have three Pokémon that you have just received, and yet, all three seem to love you… I know! How would you like to help me out", he hands me a little red computer thingy, "This is the newest version of the Pokédex. It automatically records data on any Pokémon you see or catch. It's a high-tech encyclopedia! Go out and meet many kinds of Pokémon, and complete that Pokédex! But I've stayed too long. I have to get to Goldenrod for my usual radio show! Calypso, I'm counting on you!"

He talks so quickly, and leaves in such a rush, that I have no time to object if I want to. Freaking insane professors.

Spirit, Cyndi, and Dusk look at me with astonished expressions. Mr. Pokémon also has the same look on his face, too. He snaps out of it, and calls me over.

"This is what I want Professor Elm to look at."

He hands me the object, and sure enough, it's a Pokémon egg.

"I'll take it to him."

"Thank you, Calypso. Here, before you go, I'll heal your Pokémon."

I put them back in their Pokéballs, and Mr. Pokémon heals them with his healing machine. I go to leave, but he says one more thing.

"I'm counting on you!"

I nod, and leave the building. What's up with important people counting on me these days? Sheesh.

Before I can walk one step away from Mr. Pokémon's house, my Pokégear rings. It's Professor Elm, again. I am about to tell him I have the discovery thingy, when he says something that shocks me.

"H-hello? Calypso? It's a disaster! Uh, um, it's just terrible! What should I do? It… Oh, no… Please get back here, now!"

He hangs up before I can ask him anything. I wonder what happened to make him so upset?

I travel through Route 30 quickly, with only Cyndi out to defend us from any wild Pokémon. Luckily, she only has to fight a few before we reach Cherrygrove again.

I know I'm in a hurry, but Cyndi took some damage from a few attacks, and I want to heal her. I go into the Pokémon Center again, where JC is still there, working on the computer.

"Hey, JC, could you heal Cyndi, and make it real quick? I'm in a hurry."

She looks up at me, and grins. "Sure, as long as you call me and tell me why you are in a hurry as soon as you aren't in a hurry."

I bob my head in acceptance, and she heals Cyndi.

"Thanks, JC! I'll talk to you later, bye", I say as I run out the door, and jump on my skateboard.

I am almost at the Cherrygrove city limit, when I crash into something, or rather, someone. I accidently land on top of the person. I push my upper body up, and I see the person's face. It's the redheaded guy who was stalking Professor Elm earlier.

"You!" We both say it at the same time. He shoves me off of him, and we both get up.

We glare at each other before he says, "You got a Pokémon at the Lab. What a waste. A wimp like you."

"What do you mean, a wimp like me? You don't even know me. How the hell do you know if I'm a wimp or not?"

He falters, but manages to say, "Whatever. Don't you get what I'm saying? Well, I too, have a good Pokémon. I'll show you what I mean!"

He sends out a little blue alligator Pokémon that looks familiar. It's the evil Totodile who tried to bite me at Elm's Lab! The one that I told about this redheaded guy being a good trainer for him because they are both rude and vicious!

I can't help it. I burst out laughing.

"Hahahaha!" I laugh so hard, that I almost piss my pants. The guy looks pissed off.

"What are you laughing at? My Totodile will crush you!"

"I told him… haha… he's mean… haha… and you stole him!"

I wipe the tears of laughter out of my eyes. "I told that exact Totodile that since he is mean, rude, and vicious, you would make an excellent trainer for him. And then you can steal any Pokémon from Elm's Lab, and you choose him! Hee hee…"

You'd think I would be yelling at this guy for stealing Elm's Pokémon, right? Well, I would, but that would make me a complete hypocrite. I've stolen so much stuff from Gran, and Dusk from Monica, so why should I bitch him out? And, besides, those two make the perfect couple.

"Just shut up, and battle!"

I am about to send out Spirit, when Cyndi pops out of her Pokéball.

"Cynda, Quil, Quil, Cynda, Cyndaquil." (Calypso, let me fight Totodile!)

"You want to fight him? Why?"

"Cynnnda! Cynda, Cynda, Quil, Cynda, Cyndaquil, Quil, Cynda! Quilll, Cynda, Cyndaquil, Cynda! Cyndaaqiill!" (He's a buttface! He would always pick on me, and push me into the pond when the Professor Elm would let us play in the yard! And then, he would laugh at me when I had to have Chikorita pull me out! I want my revenge!)

"Oh, okay. Go kick his ass, then."

Cyndi faces off against the evil Totodile.

"Totodile, use your scratch attack!"

"Cyndi, dodge it, then use tackle!"

Cyndi manages dodge Totodile, and hits him with her tackle.

"Totodile, stop wasting time! Use leer!"

"Cyndi, look away!"

Cyndi doesn't look away from Totodile fast enough, and she is caught in his strong gaze.

"Come on, Cyndi, snap out of it!"

Cyndi shakes her head, but redhead gives his Totodile another command.

"Use scratch, close range!"

Totodile goes to scratch Cyndi's face.

"Cyndi, use Ember!"

Cyndi blasts a small ball of fire right into Totodile's face, and it knocks him out.

Cyndi looks simply delighted at this.

Redhead looks at me, and says, "Humph! Are you happy you won?"

"Well, of course, dum dum!"

Redhead scowls. "Do you want to know who I am? I'm going to be the world's greatest Pokémon trainer."

Then, he walks off.

I notice something on the ground. It's redhead's trainer card!

"Hmmm…. so his name is Silver…"

I see him walking back towards me, an angry look on his face.

"Give it back! That's my Trainer Card!"

I sidestep his grab towards his trainer card.

"Finders, keepers, losers, weepers!"

Redhead, wait, I mean Silver, clenches his teeth, and keeps trying to grab his trainer card, but I manage to sidestep him every time. This is fun!

"Give it back, you annoying little…!"

I grab my skateboard, which is lying about a foot away, and take off on it, Silver's trainer card still in hand.

He runs after me, but can't keep up as I make it into Route 29.

I skate until I'm hidden behind a tree. There, I go to look at Silver's trainer card.

Hmmm… he's the same age as me… just like 8 months older.

I am too busy looking at the card to notice that he has finally caught up with me. And when I do notice him, he looks royally pissed.

"Would you just give me my card back already? You know my name by now, what more do you want?"

I shrug, and throw the card over my head, and into the tall pine tree behind me, just to be annoying.

"You miserable little….!" I start skateboarding away when I hear his enraged yell.

I get to New Bark Town, and go right into Elm's Lab. There's a police officer there, which makes me nervous. What if Gran or Monica called the cops on me?

I walk right past the police guy, and up to the professor.

"What's up, Professor?"

Professor Elm looks like a complete nervous wreck. I mean, he was always kinda messy and eccentric, but it's just over the top, now.

"One of the Pokémon was stolen!"

The police guy cuts in. "Rule one of detective work: The culprit always returns to the scene of the crime. That means… you must be the one who did it!"

Elm openly face palms. "Didn't I just tell you that the thief was a male with long red hair?"

The police guy's face goes red, and he apologizes.

I go to tongue-lash the police guy, but then I remember my run in with that guy, Silver, or whatever. You'd think I'd want to report him, and for him to get caught. But part of me doesn't want him to get caught. He both amuses me and intrigues me at the same time. But he also makes me want to strangle him, too. But the two run together.

"I battled a guy with that description!"

The police guy looks toward me with relief. "Really? Did you get his name?"

I purposely mess this up. "I had his trainer card, but I accidently dropped it."

He looks let down, but I continue, "But it said his name was… Gold."

I think of a different name, anything, but Silver's weird name only leaves my mind with its opposite: Gold.

He smiles at me, and says "Thank You", before walking out of the lab.

"So, Calypso, what did you get from Mr. Pokémon?"

"It's another Pokémon egg, like you thought", I say as I pull it out of my bag.

He takes the egg, and examines it. While he does, I tell him about what happened with Professor Oak, and I.

"Wow, Calypso, Professor Oak asked you to do that? He must see potential in you! You should take the Gym challenge!"

I tune him out as he goes on. "Okay, I'll go do the gym challenge!"

"Okay, Calypso, good luck!"

"Thanks, Professor!"

Just as I am about to leave, one of the aides walks up to me.

"Here are some Pokéballs to start out with."

I smile at him. "Thanks."

Then I walk out of the building.


	5. A Trick and a New Team Member

So I leave Elm's lab to "officially" go on my Pokémon journey. I waltz through Route 29, because I know there really aren't any Pokémon worth catching. So, instead, I try to keep away from as much of the grass as I can. I just want to make it to Cherrygrove City quickly.

Apparently, Silver found his Trainer Card because there isn't any sign of him anywhere. There are just Rattatas. Rattatas everywhere. I sneak around, hoping they don't notice me.

I do finally make it to Cherrygrove City, where I enter the Pokémon Center, only to find a different Nurse Joy working there. Damn. Must be JC's cousin, Jojo.

"Hello, welcome to the Pokémon Center! Would you like me to heal your Pokémon?" I nod at Jojo, and hand her my Pokéballs. She heals them, and hands them back to me. Then, I promptly leave the Pokémon Center.

I start walking up Route 30 with only Dusk out of her Pokéball. Since she's weaker than the other two, she needs more training. Dusk uses her Astonish move to take out the Pokémon who aren't Normal type, and Psywave on the Normal types. Pretty soon, she's up to level 11. Spirit is at level 11 also, and Cyndi is at level 12.

We go to walk past this house, when this random guy comes running out of the house, spits out some nonsense about "Apricorns", and hands me a case. Then, he runs back into the house.

"What. The. Hell?" I look down at the case, and see an etching on it of a nut-like fruit that I've seen on trees around here. I guess it wouldn't hurt to keep those things in here. Maybe they hold some kind of special purpose. I decide to call JC to ask her about it, and just because she wanted me to call her.

The phone rings as I wait for a response. Soon, she picks up.

"Hey, JC, what's up?"

"Nothing. Just on my break. Hey, why were you in such a hurry earlier?"

"Well, Professor Elm's Pokémon was stolen, so I had to rush."

"Really? Did you figure out who stole it?"

"Yeah, I ran into him on the way there, but I couldn't get back the Pokémon back."

"Oh, that sucks."

Not really. If she only knew.

"Yeah. Hey, I got a question. What are Apricorns, and what are their purpose?"

"Apricorns? Oh. A guy named Kurt in Azalea Town makes special Pokéballs out of them."

"Okay. Thanks."

"Hey, Calypso, I gotta go. Baby Pokémon are crying, and I have to calm them down. See ya!"

She hangs up on me. Those baby Pokémon must be very cranky today.

I walk into Route 30, not wanting to spend anymore time in Cherrygrove than I have to. I go a different way through the route than I did last time. Soon, a young kid in shorts, whose name turns out to be Joey, runs up to me, and starts talking.

"See my Rattata? It's in the top percentage of Rattata!"

To convince me, he then sends out his Rattata. A pipsqueak of a Pokémon, in my opinion. Dusk floats over to take on the thing.

Joey looks at Dusk, gets all excited, and starts cooing at her. Dusk looks at me with an annoyed expression, and I give her the nod that says, "Let's get this over with."

"Dusk, use Psywave!" Dusk sends a loud wave of psychic energy at Joey and his Rattata. I can tell it's working because both human and Pokémon are flinching at the loud sound. I would flinch, but I'm already used to Dusk's loud Psywave attack; she uses it frequently. Both Joey and his Rattata look ready to pass out. Joey manages to call out a command.

"Rattata, use Tackle!"

"Dusk, use another Psywave!"

Dusk doesn't even have to move an inch as the Tackle goes straight through her. Joey gasps in horror. She sends out another Psywave, which makes the Rattata collapse.

Joey looks at his Rattata sprawled out on the ground, fainted. Then he glances back at me.

"Oh… I'm out of Pokémon that can fight…"

I look at him weirdly, and reply, "Well, you only had one Rattata."

He suddenly perks up again, which almost kind of freaks me out.

"Hey, can I get your number? I'll ring you up to battle."

"Um… Sorry, kid, I don't just give my number to random people."

"Oh, all right...But I won't lose to you again!" Then he takes off, most likely to find a Pokémon Center.

I keep walking, until I come up to another Youngster and Bug Catcher, and soundly defeat them, as well.

I approach the entrance of a cave at the beginning of Route 31, which I have just crossed into, and I am instantly excited. I love dark caves! I enter the cave, where it is indeed, dark. Almost pitch black. Now, I would normally explore this thing, but it's so dark that I can't see my hand in front of my face, so I leave.

Pop! The Black Apricorn pops as it falls into my hand. I can't wait to get to Azalea Town, and actually put these things to use.

My stomach rumbles, and I realize that I haven't eaten since this morning. Neither have my Pokémon. I survey the rest of the route. There appears to be one more Trainer on this route; a Bug Catcher who I have to battle if I want to get to Violet City. Unless….

I fall on my ass as I attempt to scale the ledges that block the road. Owww! The Bug Catcher notices my attempt, and walks over to me. I inwardly groan.

"Hi, I'm Wade! Why are you trying to climb the ledges? That's kinda dangerous, you know."

I breathe a long, heavy sigh, and glance at Wade.

"I'm really hungry, my Pokémon are really hungry, and I knew that if I passed by you, you would want to battle. So I attempted to jump the ledges. Satisfied?"

Wade shakes his huge hat-covered head, and chuckles. "You must be psychic, or something, lady. I was just revving up for a battle. But since I'm so nice, I'll let you pass without battling me."

I swear, my face must look so hilarious, because I am grinning ear to ear. But then, Wade says something that makes the deal a little bit more beneficial to him.

"Wait, I'll do it under two conditions. One, when you're done eating, you have to come back and battle me. Two, bring me back a sandwich. I'll even give you the money for it. Deal?"

I narrow my eyes at the boy, before grasping his hand. "Deal."

He let's me pass by, and I practically run through the checkpoint, and into Violet City.

If I could use one word to describe Violet City? Rustic. The town looks like an old village that hasn't had any repairs done to it since the 1800s. From a distance, I can see a few houses, the Pokémon Gym, and an old tower at the back of the city. But what I'm really focused on is the Pokémon Center just a few steps away.

I walk into the Pokémon Center, where yet another Nurse Joy greets me. I swear they clone themselves. Except for JC, who I think is kind of a rebel.

"Welcome to the Pokémon Center! Is there anything you need?"

"Yeah, my Pokémon and I are really hungry. Do you have anything to eat?"

Nurse Joy shakes her head at me. "No, at the moment, we don't. There's a food shortage in Violet City at the moment. I'm afraid that you will have to wait until the food truck comes, like every other trainer."

"Then could you at least heal my starving Pokémon?"

The clone gives me an annoyed look, but heals them anyway. I take them back, and walk briskly out of the PokéCenter, and towards Route 31.

I approach Wade, who is leaning against a tree, reading a book about Bug-catching. He hears my noisy footsteps, and looks up.

"Back already, huh? Where's my sandwich?"

I narrow my eyes in annoyance. "Apparently, Violet City is completely out of food, and they are waiting for a food truck to come. They don't know when it will get there, either, so I guess we get to starve."

Wade snickers, and pulls out a pouch. "I already knew that there was no food in Violet City. So, I foraged around for berries. Found some, though I don't know if they are edible for human consumption."

I can feel the rage coursing through my veins at his words. I pluck Wade off of the ground by his collar, and shake him a few times before pulling his face dangerously close to mine.

"What you mean to tell me is that you knew about this all along? And you still sent me on a wild goose chase?! I ought to hang you from this tree from your underwear, and leave you here until you fall!"

My ranting doesn't have the desired effect on Wade, who is laughing hysterically. The same cannot be said for the wild Pokémon around here, who have poked their heads out to see what the commotion is about, but quickly retreat due to my charmingly enraged face.

Wade stops laughing, and shakes the berry pouch at me. "Hey, I didn't say I wouldn't share."

At those words, the anger leaves my body, only to be replaced with annoyance.

"Why didn't you just say that in the first place?"

Wade, our Pokémon, and I enjoy a small lunch of berries before I completely cream him in battle.

"Wow, Lady, you're really strong! Hey, if I could register your number, maybe we could do this again. What do you say?"

"The name's Calypso, and, yeah, as long as you don't piss me off again."

"Sure, Callie."

I send Wade a warning glance. "Don't call me that. Oh, and you're not getting your sandwich money back."

Wade shrugs, not caring, and we exchange PokéGear numbers.

So after we exchange numbers, I go back to Violet City to scope out the area. I go into this one house that has a nerdy kid and an older guy in it. The older guy looks weird, so I talk to the nerdy kid.

"What's up?"

He sniffs deeply, like he's trying to clear his nose. Gross, man.

"Hi. My name's Rudy. Have you caught any Bellsprout, by chance?"

"I haven't caught any, but I've seen plenty of them on Route 31. Why?"

Rudy inhales again, making that disgusting noise. I inwardly wince at the revolting sound.

"Well, I've always wanted a Bellsprout, but the only Pokémon I have now is weak to Grass types. I've asked my dad", he points the weird man, who grunts in response, "but he won't catch me one. If you can catch me a Bellsprout, I'll trade you my Onix. Please, trade with me."

"Fine, kid, I'll go out and catch you a Bellsprout."

"My name's Rudy."

I shrug. "Look, kid, I'll be back with the Bellsprout soon. Hold on to your undies until I get back."

As I walk out, I can distinctly hear Rudy say, "See, even a total stranger is nicer than you." His dad just snorts in reply.

I chuckle. I'm not doing this because I'm nice, I'm doing it because I want a giant rock snake Pokémon. I knew those Pokéballs the aide gave me would come in handy.

I've been walking around Route 32 because this guy by the PokéCenter told me that stronger Bellsprouts can be found there. I have Spirit out with me searching for the Bellsprouts, who seem to sense that I am searching for them. They are probably all hiding just to spite me.

I finally spot one trying to hide in a nearby bush. "Spirit, use Faint Attack", I command before the Bellsprout can try to slip into the bush. Spirit disappears, and reappears between the Bellsprout and the bush, where she attacks it. The Bellsprout is on the grass, attempting to get up and fight when I throw a Pokéball at it. It disappears into the Pokéball, which rocks three times before clicking.

"Yes! My first Pokémon catch!"

The Bellsprout is male, so I name it Forest. He's at level 6, which isn't bad, but could definitely be better.

I make my way to the PokéCenter, where I have Nurse Joy heal my Pokémon. Then I head out to Dark Cave to train Forest. What is the point of training a Bellsprout that I'm going to trade another person, you ask? Well, Pharmacy Guy told me about a rule that is usually true for all trades: When you trade a Pokémon, the Pokémon you receive in return will usually be the same level as the one you traded to them. I know for a fact that Onix doesn't learn any Rock type moves until Level 9, so I want to have Forest be at least at Level 9 before I trade him. Training an Onix is harder than training a Bellsprout, anyway.

So we get to Dark Cave, which is extremely dark, by the way. Dark Cave is full of Geodudes, which are as slow as snails covered in molasses, and Forest has no problem taking them out with a few Vine Whips. The only problem about training in Dark Cave is that it's always really cold and wet in here. Oh, and half of the time it's Zubats that come out instead of Geodudes, and we have to run from them. If one thing is certain, it's that a Bellsprout that only knows Vine Whip does not have a good chance at taking out a Zubat.

After around a half hour of beating up Geodudes and running from Zubats, Forest is at Level 10, and ready for me to trade him. So, I return to Rudy's house to trade Forest for an Onix.

As I walk back to Violet City, Forest stares me in the eyes, his black pupils staring into my soul.

"Bell, Bellsprout", he says to me.

I can't understand what he's saying, so I go behind a few trees, and let out Spirit, who I can understand the best of all of them. I have the ability to understand what Pokémon are saying, but only if I have made an emotional bond with them.

"What is he trying to say", I ask Spirit as I gesture to Forest.

Spirit gazes at Forest, who repeats himself to her.

"Murkrow Murk Murkrow Krow, Murkrow Murkrow Krow, Murk Murkrow. (Forest says that he doesn't want to be traded over to the boy Rudy, and that he wants to stay with us.)"

I look at Forest, who is staring into my eyes again pleadingly. I sigh.

"Alright, you can stay. But you better help me figure out a strategy to beat Falkner and his bird Pokémon, whom you are weak against. I'm not going and catching another Bellsprout just for it to get attached to me like you did. An Onix is not worth a Pokémon's heartbreak."

Forest practically jumps me, his vine-like-arms hugging my neck. I hold him in my arms, and then he lets go.

"I think you've had enough training for today, Forest. Good job. Return."

Forest smiles gratefully as I return him back to his Pokéball. Spirit, who has been watching the entire scene, flies over onto my shoulder, a faint smirk on her huge beak.

"What do you think is so funny?"

"Murkrow Murk Krow Murkrow. Murkrow, Krow Murkrow. Murkrow Murk. Murkrow? Krow Murk? (I'm surprised you let him onto the team so easily. Normally, you don't accept things that quickly. You don't show your emotional side often either. What's changed? Is someone going soft?)"

My cheeks burn red at her teasing comment. "I am not getting soft! Just you wait, you and the others are in for the battles of your lifetimes! It's training for you guys really soon! Come on, I heard that if you defeat the monks in the Sprout Tower, you can get a good TM. Let's beat the shit out of them!"

Spirit snickers as we run off towards Sprout Tower, and the battles that await us there.


	6. Monks, Scares, And Even A Kidnapping

Sprout Tower is my next objective.

When you're far away from Sprout Tower, it only looks like a puny little baby tower, but when you get up close, it is freaking gigantic! I walk into the large building, where a few monks and an old lady are hanging out.

"I heard people come here to train their Pokémon. Is that true?"

The monk closest to the stairs nods and replies, "Yes, child, it is. Go up these stairs, and there will be other monks willing to do battle with you."

Anger slowly burns up inside me at being called a child. That's what Gran always called me, that miserable old hag. I hate when old people do that, it's so annoying; I'm seventeen for crying out loud, I'm almost an adult!

"Watch who you call a child, you old geezer."

The monk chuckles, but doesn't reply as I make my way past him, and up the stairs.

I address Spirit, who is still on my shoulder.

"Hey, look, I know I said I wanted to train you, but I think Cyndi needs a bit more training than you do at the moment. You can stay on my shoulder though, if you want, and do whatever Murkrows do when they're not battling for their awesome trainer. Cool?"

Spirit rolls her eyes, but nods anyways. I let out Cyndi, who is ecstatic to be out of her Pokéball.

"Okay, Cyndi, it's time for some training. We're in Sprout Tower, so guess what kind of Pokémon we're mostly likely going to be fighting? That's right: Bellsprout! Your firepower will kill them in one hit, so it's easy training. But watch out, because I bet that some of the monks have more than just Bellsprout."

Cyndi nods, excited at the prospect of setting other Pokémon on fire. And I thought she wasn't violent. Eh, it's fine as long as she only does it to opponents, mean people, or people trying to kill us.

So Cyndi, Spirit and I climb the tower, setting Bellsprouts on fire, and gaining experience. While Cyndi battles, Spirit gives her advice or teases Cyndi about her fire not being hot enough. Cyndi responds by sending a small fireball towards Spirit, who dodges it. The fireball hits the wooden wall, leaving a small hole that goes to the outside. Thankfully, the nearest monk is more than 15 feet away, and can't see over here.

"Oops… well, they won't notice it until later, right?"

Spirit and Cyndi snicker. We quickly make it up to the highest floor, where Cyndi burns the first two monks. We are in the middle of beating up the third, when he sends out his second Pokémon.

"I knew it, I so fucking knew it. See, Cyndi, I knew it wouldn't just be Bellsprout", I mutter as I study the owl-like Pokémon in front of me. Hoothoot. They're good when they're on your side, otherwise, not so much.

"Cyndi, let's get this done fast, use Ember!"

"Hoothoot, dodge it, and use Hypnosis!"

The Ember hits the Hoothoot full force, but it's not enough to knock it out. Unfortunately for me, the Hypnosis hits Cyndi dead on.

"Cyndi, it's not the time for napping, come on! I know you can do it!"

The monk just shakes his head and orders his Hoothoot to use Tackle on Cyndi, which it does. Cyndi now looks like she's fighting off a terrible nightmare. I'm panicking, and even Spirit is worried now.

"Come on, Cyndi, if you wake up, I'll buy you those Cheri Berries you like so much!"

Of course the mention of food instantly gets Cyndi's attention, and she awakens.

"Now, use your Quick Attack!"

In a flash, Cyndi attacks the Hoothoot, knocking it out.

"Yay, Cyndi!"

Cyndi blushes in pride. Suddenly, I hear a familiar voice coming from the back of the room. Cyndi, Spirit, and I walk over to see what's going on. The owner of the voice is that asshole who stole Elm's Totodile, what was his name? Oh yeah, Silver.

I'm watching Silver talk to the Elder from behind the big pillar. I can hear what the Elder is saying to him.

"You've shown us what you've got, and it is indeed good. Take this Technical Machine. However, you treat your Pokémon far too harshly. Remember, Pokémon are not tools of war…"

I shift behind the pillar, silently trying to keep from laughing, but botch it up when a snort comes out. Silver apparently hears me, and I'm forced to come out of hiding. He hastily stomps towards me, an annoyed look on his face. He leans against the pillar casually as his piercing steely eyes stare me down. Then, he speaks.

"… …Humph! He calls himself the Elder, but he was no match for me. Sure enough, those who lecture how you should be "nice" to Pokémon… They cannot defeat me. All I care about are strong Pokémon that win every time. The rest of them don't mean anything to me."

He looks down at Cyndi, a sneer etched on his sharp face. "That goes for your wimpy Cyndaquil", he glances at Spirit, "and your stupid Murkrow, too."

Cyndi and Spirit growl in response to Silver's insults. I can feel a fit of rage coming on… He continues his tirade.

"What can you and your puny Pokémon accomplish, anyway? I'll be the strongest Pokémon Trainer ever. I'll do whatever it takes, especially if it means beating you down."

I am about to break, but Cyndi is far beyond me in the anger department. She begins to snarl, a look of fury on her normally adorable face. Silver just looks down on her with a mock-worried expression.

"Aww, what is the tiny little Cyndaquil going to do about it?"

I point to Silver, "Get him, Cyndi! Set his ass on fire!"

Cyndi suddenly erupts in a bright white light. Her body becomes longer, her eyes become red, and that's when I realize that she's evolving.

The white light disappears as Cyndi roars a different name, "Quilava!"

I break out into cheers, "Oh my God, Cyndi, you evolved!"

Silver seems fazed by Cyndi's evolution, but quickly snaps out of it. In a matter of seconds, he's back to berating us again.

"So what if your Cyndaquil evolved into a Quilava? It's still a weak, puny Pokémon. All of yours are. If you think I'm going to let a wimp like you keep me from my goals, then keep dreaming."

He goes to walk away, when I yell out to him, "Hey, asshole!"

He stops walking, his body becoming rigid at the insult I just threw at him.

"Just remember, Cyndi and Spirit here are gunning for you. Cyndi's anger towards you is what pushed her over the edge, and made her evolve. I'd watch your back. Oh, and if you don't treat your Pokémon right, they're going to be pissed at you. That Totodile of yours is small now, but he's gonna grow bigger. And when he does, you might want to watch your mouth, or you could become his next snack. Just remember that."

Silver turns around to face me again, and his mouth is in a tight line.

"I think I'll take my chances." Then he uses an escape rope to get out of the tower.

Spirit and Cyndi are staring at me, grins on their faces.

"You guys were pissed off a minute ago, what changed to make you happy?"

"Murkrow Murk Murkrow. Krow Murkrow (That was an awesome comeback you came up with. I wouldn't be able to pull that off)", Spirit explains.

"Quil. Quilava, Lava Quilava. Lava Lava Quil, Quilava Lava Quilava (Yeah. And you know what, I think you're right about Totodile. He was always an ass back at the Lab, I wouldn't put it past him to attack his trainer if he was really mad)", Cyndi adds.

I laugh, and end up snorting, which makes them laugh.

We walk up to the last monk, who looks much older than the other monks. He is staring at me intently, as if he is trying figure me out.

"Are the you the last monk in this joint?"

"Yes, I am Elder Li. I assume you are here to battle, Miss…?"

"It's Calypso, and you assume correctly."

"Well, Calypso, show me the bond you and your Pokémon share. Bellsprout, go forth into battle!"

So Cyndi uses her Ember attack to take out the Elder's two Bellsprouts. Then, he sends out his last Pokémon, a…

"Hoothoot", I mutter darkly. Of course he has to have a Hoothoot. Cyndi gazes at me with a determined expression.

"Cyndi, use your Ember attack!"

Cyndi shoots a ball of fire at the Hoothoot, who tries to hop away, but gets hit in the wing.

"Hoothoot, use Hypnosis!"

"Cyndi, avoid Hypnosis with everything you've got, then use Quick Attack!"

Cyndi manages to avoid Hypnosis, but her Quick Attack doesn't work out so well, and she misses.

"Hoothoot, use Tackle on Quilava's unprotected side!"

Hoothoot does just that, and hits Cyndi where she can't defend herself from; her right hind leg. Cyndi gets hit, but quickly turns around to face the Hoothoot again.

"Cyndi, use Ember before it gets too far away!"

Cyndi shoots out another fireball, but instead of being red, the fire is blue, making it that much more powerful. It hits Hoothoot directly, knocking it out.

Elder Li recalls his fallen Hoothoot, and walks up to me, a CD-like thing in his hands.

"Calypso, that battle was amazing. I enjoyed watching you and your Pokémon working in harmony together. Here is TM70 Flash. It lowers the opponent's accuracy, and can be used to illuminate caves. If I may make a suggestion, teaching a Bellsprout this move would be beneficial…"

"Thanks, Elder Li. I'm gonna go back to the Pokémon Center for a rest, and hopefully, some food. These guys deserve it."

With that, I use an escape rope I found on the floor to get out of this tower.

*Three Hours Later*

Back at the Pokémon Center, I've booked a room for the night, which thankfully I don't have to share with anyone else. I used the some of the money I received from defeating all of the trainers I've battled to buy some food from the food truck that finally came in around two hours ago.

I'm munching on some chips and salsa, while Cyndi, Spirit, and Forest are happily eating the Pokémon food I bought for them. Dusk, however, is staring at the food blankly, and then gives me a look as if to say, "What the heck is this shit?"

"What, you don't like Pokémon food?"

Dusk shakes her head, and replies, "Misdreavus Misdrea Mis (I receive nourishment from the fear of others)."

I turn to gape at her, my eyebrows rising. "Are you kidding me? What am I supposed to do, go to the Pokémart and ask for the 'Fear' flavored Pokémon food?"

Dusk narrows her eyes at me. "Misss, Misdreavus Dreavus Mis. Misdreavus (Nooo, check your Pokédex entry on me. You'll see)."

"Okay", I say as I take out the red Encyclopedia device.

The Pokédex begins to speak in an annoying computer-generated voice as I click on Misdreavus's entry.

"Misdreavus, the Screech Pokémon. Misdreavus feed off of the fear of others. They like to frighten people by randomly screaming and pulling people's hair, and then absorbing the fear with the orbs around their necks."

"So, you were telling truth. What do you want to do, go around the town and scare the crap out of people", I ask Dusk.

Dusk grins, and replies, "Misdreavus (Precisely)."

I shrug. "Hey, Cyndi, Spirit, and Forest! Me and Dusk are gonna go scare the shit out of some people! We'll be back in a little bit. While we're gone, guard the room so no one steals you guys or any of my stuff. If we're not back by around three in the morning, tell Nurse Joy that I've gone missing. Okay?" All three nod.

I gesture for Dusk to follow me out of the window, and over to the woods by the Pokémon Center. It's dark already, so when we do pop out and scare people, they won't be able to see us coming.

We hide behind some trees, waiting for our first victim. Soon, a young kid around 11 or 12 walks by the trees we're hiding behind. Dusk flies out, attaches herself to the boy's red cap, and screams. The boy shrieks with terror, and he runs around, trying to dislodge whatever he thinks is on his hat. Dusk suddenly lets go, and the boy runs screaming into the distance. Dusk floats back over to me, a look of delight in her red eyes. We glance at each other for a moment before bursting out in laughter.

I wipe a tear from my eye. "Nice one, Dusk. How much fear does that translate into?"

"Misdreavus. Misdreavus Mis Drea Misdreavus (Thanks. It's like how filling a chicken breast is to a human)."

"So, probably a couple more scares like that, and you'll be good?"

Dusk nods. So, Dusk and I scare a few more people, the most memorable being an old lady that when we popped out, screamed something about us being the devil's children, and threw her cane at us, which hit me in the gut. So, now I have a cane that doesn't belong to me, a bruise most likely forming on my stomach, and an old lady nowhere in sight. Great. Well, she's not getting her cane back, at any rate.

It's around midnight when Dusk and I decide to go back to the Pokémon Center. We are walking through the woods, when suddenly, strong arms grab me from behind, attempting to drag me to who knows where. One hand goes over my mouth, so I bite it, while I struggle to free myself by kicking and punching. The person attempting to restrain me curses, pulls out a white cloth, and holds it over my mouth and nose. I stupidly try to breathe in, and my nose fills with an intoxicating scent that slowly makes me pass out. Before everything goes black, I can see the silhouette of a Pokémon attacking Dusk, and restraining her as well. The worst part is, I can't do anything to prevent it. I'm sorry, Dusk.

I wake up to cold water being thrown on me. I sputter, and try to shake off any excess water on my face. I open my eyes and look up, only to see Silver and his Totodile. Haha, I guess it hasn't evolved yet. I gaze in all directions, trying to spot Dusk, only to see that a Gastly and a Zubat, that probably belong to Silver, are holding her down on the ground. I try to get up to help her, but I find that I've been tied up.

"Dusk", I call out to her, worry in my tone. "Dreavus Mis Misdreavus. Misdreavus Dreavus, Misdreavus (I'm alright, Calypso. They're just restraining me, nothing more)", she responds.

"Oh thank God she's not hurt", I exclaim with relief. I then glare back up at Silver, who has been watching Dusk and I speak with interest.

"How can you understand your Pokémon's speech? When mine talk to me, it's as if we're playing charades."

I scoff, and turn my head away. "As if I'm going to tell you. And what the heck is with you kidnapping us? That's just creepy, dude. Although, I am impressed that you managed to grab me and tie me up. Normally if someone attempted that, they'd get the shit beat out of them."

Silver glares at me for a few more moments before pulling out a piece of paper, holding it in front of my face, and quietly asking, "Why?"

I examine the paper before realizing that it's a wanted poster for Silver. Only thing is, the name next to the picture says Gold, and the picture is not exactly accurate. From far away, the picture mostly looks like Silver, but when you look up close, there are many little flaws that distinguish the picture from the real Silver.

First of all, the bright red hair isn't long enough. Silver's hair reaches down to his shoulders, but in the picture, it only falls to below the ears. Also, Silver's eyes are a darker silver than the pictures, and he's more built in real life. Oh, and in the picture, the black jacket is longer, and the pants are a bit tighter, so it looks like he's wearing a dress and leggings.

My head rises to match his determined, yet somewhat confused gaze. "Why what", I question him, not really knowing what he wants me to tell him.

His teeth clench, and he pulls the poster back. Then he lowers himself until his face is around 4 inches away from mine. He scowls, and asks menacingly, "Why didn't you rat me out?"

I narrow my eyes at him. "You don't even know if I was the one who told the police about you. Why are you asking me about this?"

He scoffs. "Please, don't give me that crap. I saw Elm give you that starter Pokémon. He gave you his phone number, and I can almost bet that he called you when one of his precious Pokémon went missing. That's why you were heading towards New Bark Town when you ran into me. I was so stupid to have accidently dropped my Trainer Card like I did. Then, to my horrible luck, you found it, and picked it up. You probably saw a lot before I succeeded in getting it back from you. You have to at least know my real name, if not more. So, when you got back to Elm's Lab, the police were there. I know, because I heard them coming. Do you know how I know that you were the one to give them details about me?"

I roll my eyes, and he continues. "Elm only saw the back of me before I jumped out of the window, and into Route 29. He couldn't have known that I have silver eyes, or what the front of my jacket looks like, even if the length is messed up. I was long out of sight by the time the police got there, so they couldn't identify me. I snuck around Route 29, letting no one spot me until you ran into me at the Cherrygrove City limits. It had to be you who gave them the information, there was no one else who fully saw me. So don't try to give me some cock-and-bull story about how it wasn't you who did it."

I raise my eyebrows at his statement. Then, I smile, which fazes him.

"What are you smiling for? I have you tied up, and soaking wet, and yet, you look like I just gave you chocolate."

I snort. "Okay, you got me. I did give the police details about who stole the Totodile from Professor Elm's Lab. See, I admitted it. Happy?"

Silver glowers at me heatedly, and replies, "No. Why did you give the police fake information about me? Why not just rat me out? I'd think you of all people would want to see my Pokémon get taken away from me, and see me get thrown into jail."

"Nah. Seeing your Pokémon being taken away from you isn't my cup of tea. Besides, from what I've seen, you're not a bad trainer, when it comes to training methods, at least. All three of your Pokémon look healthy enough, so I assume you feed them at least once a day. The only thing that really bugs me about you is that you treat your Pokémon like they are slaves or tools. You've got to treat them better, or they'll grow up to hate you."

Silver rolls his eyes. "You think I haven't heard that before? If you treat Pokémon like they're your friends, they'll go soft on you. They slack off because they know you won't yell at them for it. I'm going to be the strongest trainer there ever is, and being nice to my Pokémon isn't going to help that. So quit lecturing me about it, and tell me the real reason you didn't rat me out."

"Make me, you asshole."

He sends a death glare at me, and then orders his Totodile to use Water Gun on me. Now, I'm completely soaked, and it's slowly getting colder outside. If I don't get out of these wet clothes soon, I'll freeze to death.

"Okay, okay. The reason I didn't snitch is because if I did, I'd be a hypocrite. And I'd hate it if I was called a hypocrite. Satisfied?"

"Why, do you steal Pokémon and other things, too? That would make you just as bad as me."

I scoff. "That's classified, and I'm not as bad as you because I treat my Pokémon nicely. Now, would you let me go already? It's freaking cold out here, and I'm in soaking wet clothes."

Silver says nothing, but pulls out a switchblade, and cuts me free. I stare at the weapon in his hand. It's really long.

"What's that thing for, skewering Pokémon that don't listen or aren't powerful enough for you?"

I know I shouldn't be provoking a guy who has a long knife in his hand, but I can't help myself.

His face flushes red, and it seems like he wants to attack me, but he just gives an angry sigh, and pockets the switchblade.

"I'm not wasting my time on wimps like you again. Gastly, Zubat, let the Misdreavus go. We're done here."

He walks into a deeper part of the woods, his three Pokémon following him from behind. Soon, he disappears into the distance.

I glance towards Dusk, who has just regain her bearings. "Well, that went well", I say with a straight face. Dusk just shakes her head, and if she had hands, she'd be holding her head. I check the Pokégear, and it's already two in the morning!

"Holy shit, Dusk! We need to get back to the Pokémon Center if we want any sleep for tomorrow! Come on!"

We run to the back of the Pokémon Center, climb through the window, and into our room. All three Pokémon are laying, fast asleep. I yawn, and get into my bed, where I join them in dreamless sleep.


	7. The Gym and a New Friend

Considering that I stayed up until around 2AM last night, I woke up rather early in the morning. I got up at around 9AM, but only because the sunlight from outside was pouring in through the window, and directly at my face. I couldn't stand the heat on my face, so I grudgingly got up, got a shower, and woke up all of the Pokémon, with the exception of Forest, who has been awake since dawn.

At the moment, my Pokémon and I are at the dining area of the Pokémon Center having breakfast. Luckily for us, breakfast at Pokémon Centers are always free. Otherwise, I'd probably be having leftover chips and salsa for breakfast. Instead, I'm having cereal.

After all of us finish breakfast, I head out towards the Pokémon Gym. Cyndi is walking by my side, while Forest is sitting on my back, his vines wrapped around my neck in a piggy-back ride fashion. Forest and I have bonded enough that I can now understand him when he talks, though he has a thick accent that makes it slightly difficult to understand him.

As promised, he's helping me come up with battle strategies for the Gym Battle against Falkner. Seeing as he's a Grass Type, he won't be battling. We've decided that it would be best to use Cyndi and Dusk for the battle. Cyndi's the most powerful of all of them, especially with her firepower, while Dusk has a type advantage against Normal Type Pokémon like Pidgey, which I'm quite sure Falkner could use.

We finally get to the Gym. I stop in front of the door, pausing to stare at it for a moment before finally going in. When I get in there, I see no one except for one guy standing next to two Pokémon statues.

I walk up to him, a confused look on my face. "You can't be the Gym Leader, can you? No offense, but you don't look like the kind of guy who would be a Gym Leader."

The guy just laughs, and responds, "You're right, I'm not the Gym Leader. I am, however, here to help you in beating the Gym Leader."

I gaze at him quizzically. "You want to help me beat the Gym Leader, huh? Well, it would help if the Gym Leader was actually here."

"The Gym Leader is here. Just look up."

I do as he says, and raise my head towards the ceiling. Then, it all makes sense. My eyes widen at the size of the platform at the top of the Gym. I can see the wooden floor of the platform, along with glass parts that extend around the wooden part. I look back to the guy, an astonished expression on my face.

"The Gym Leader is all the way up there?"

The guy nods knowingly, and addresses me. "So, Champ-in-the-making, Falkner is a Flying type trainer. Grass Types are weak against Flying Types", he says as he gestures to Forest, who still has his vines wrapped around my neck, "I hope you're not going to battle Falkner using that Bellsprout."

My eyes narrow. "Of course not. While Forest is a great Pokémon, he's not suited for this Gym. I know what I'm doing. Now would you do me a favor, and tell me how I can get to Falkner? It would much appreciated."

My annoyed, yet slightly angry tone makes the man sweat in anxiety. I can see him gulp, his Adam's apple showing, before he points to a section on the floor that has a Poké Ball on it, and is a moderately different type of wood than the rest of the floor.

"Step on that, and it will take you up to the platform where Falkner will be waiting for you. Good luck."

I nod. Cyndi, Forest, and I step on the square, and suddenly, it starts rising rapidly! I almost lose my balance, but quickly manage to regain it. It takes little more than 30 seconds before we are all the way at the top.

There is a wooden walkway in a "S" shape that allows the two gym trainers to see you if you walk on it. Then, there is a translucent glass walkway that allows you to skip the gym trainers if you wish. I decide to battle them since experience never hurts. There are two trainers. The first one only has a Spearow that Cyndi defeats with two Ember attacks. The second one has two Pidgeys, which Dusk takes out with a few Psywaves.

We walk to the final platform, where the Gym Leader is looking at us. I know his name is Falkner, and that his specialty is Flying type Pokémon, but other than that, I don't know much about him. He is tall, probably just a little under six foot, and has a stable looking body structure. His dark blue hair is shaggy, and part of it hangs over his blue eyes. I might have found him attractive if he wasn't smirking at me in the most irritatingly way possible.

We finally get close enough to speak to him. He is still smirking, and goes on to say,

"It's impressive, the way you took out my students' Pokémon."

I smirk back, and respond, "Yeah, and I didn't even use an Electric type to do it."

Falkner stiffens at my reference to Flying Pokémons' weakness to electricity. An irritated frown appears on his face, and he stands up straight.

"I'm Falkner, the Violet City Pokémon Gym Leader! People say you can clip Flying-type Pokémon's wings with a jolt of electricity... I won't allow such insults to bird Pokémon! I'll show you the real power of the magnificent bird Pokémon!"

He sends out a Pidgey, and I roll my eyes. Easy. I send out Dusk, who looks excited at the prospect of battling a Gym Leader.

Falkner looks at Dusk with fear in his dark blue eyes. I know what we are both thinking: His Pidgey doesn't know any non-Normal offensive move, so he can't do any direct damage to Dusk. So, instead, he decides to defend.

"Pidgey, use your Sand Attack!" Pidgey goes to shoot sand in Dusk's face, but it doesn't affect her whatsoever.

"Wha—", Falkner says, shocked.

I smirk in triumph. "Dusk has the ability, Levitate! Any ground type moves used against her won't have any effect at all", I say smugly. Then, I tell Dusk to use her Psywave attack.

Both Falkner and his Pidgey try to cover their ears as Dusk's loud screech sends a wave of Psychic energy towards the Pidgey. It doesn't knock it out, but causes considerable damage to it.

Falkner looks at me with both amazement and annoyance. He then makes the wisest decision he can to shift the battle so he's winning.

"Pidgey, return! Pidgeotto, assist us!"

His half-defeated Pidgey returns to its Poké Ball with relief on it's face while the newly released Pidgeotto is glaring at Dusk and I. I don't think it likes the condition we put its comrade into.

"Pidgeotto, use Gust", Falkner says in urgency.

The Gust hits Dusk straight on, and I know she's not strong enough to withstand it, especially with it being a Flying type move coming from a Flying type Pokémon with high stats. She floats slowly to the ground, where she lies, not knocked out, but almost down. Falkner goes to attack her again, but I recall her before the Pidgeotto does any damage.

"I'm sorry, Dusk. Good job", I whisper as I put her Dusk Ball back onto my belt. Falkner is smirking once again, and I want to smack him for it.

"Now who's the one with one Pokémon nearly fainted", he says smugly. I just roll my eyes.

"Yeah, but remember: You have two Pokémon, and I have four. I outnumber you two to one."

Falkner clenches his teeth in annoyance. I raise my eyebrows, and send Cyndi to deal with his Pidgeotto.

"Cyndi, use your Ember attack!"

Cyndi shoots a fire ball at the Pidgeotto, and hits it straight on. It does considerable damage, but it doesn't come close to knocking it out.

Falkner commands his Pidgeotto to use Gust. I tell Cyndi to dodge it, but she isn't quick enough, and she gets hit. I know if we don't take out Pidgeotto quickly, we're going to be in some deep shit.

"Cyndi, use Ember, and then use Quick Attack!"

Cyndi sends an Ember towards Pidgeotto, which hits it directly. Falkner gasps as Cyndi goes in for the knockout move. Pidgeotto tries to dodge Cyndi's Quick Attack, but it is too hurt from from the Ember to move very far. Cyndi hits it dead on, and the Pidgeotto falls to the floor, fainted.

Falkner gasps , and recalls Pidgeotto. I can hear him whisper praise to it as he switches it out for his half defeated Pidgey.

Cyndi wants to fight some more, but she is hurt from Pidgeotto's Gust attack.

"Come on, Cyndi. I can tell Pidgeotto hurt you. You did a good job out there. It's time for a nice rest."

I convince her to go back in her Poké Ball.

"What, don't you think your Quilava can take on my Pidgey? Or is it too weak?"

I roll my eyes yet again, and respond quite dryly, "No, not too weak. Too tired. I hate to admit it, but your Pidgeotto's Gust really put a beating on Cyndi. So instead of her possibly fainting, I'm going to have another one of my Pokémon take a shot at it."

I then release Spirit from her Poké Ball, who doesn't like the intense light of the gym. It is obvious that she was taking a nap. She looks at me questioningly, but I just give her a look that says, "Come on, please?" She hops off my shoulder, and glares at the reason she had to wake up from her nap.

The weakened Pidgey looks scared, but Falkner looks at Spirit with a certain type of fondness in his eyes.

"So you also use the Flying type", he says fondly.

I glance at him, and reply, "Well, yeah. They're a staple type for any Pokémon Trainer. Now, Spirit, finish Falkner's Pidgey off with a Faint Attack!"

Spirit disappears, and Pidgey is looking for her. Spirit strikes behind the Pidgey's back, and the Pidgey faints. I cheer, and Spirit cheers along with me.

Falkner looks at his Pokémon on the ground, and back at me. He recalls his fallen Pokémon, and then slowly approaches me.

"I did not get your name before we started battle. What is it", he asks.

"Calypso."

He stretches his arm out, and in his hand is a silver badge with a wing pattern on it.

"The Zephyr Badge. You deserve it Calypso."

I smile at Falkner, and take the Zephyr Badge from his hand.

"Thanks, Falkner."

He smiles again, and says something about the gyms ahead. Something about a gym in Azalea Town, I think? Then, he hands me a technical machine.

"What's this for", I ask.

"It's the TM for the move Roost. Roost heals your Pokémon when you use it. Put it to good use!"

I grin, and say, "Thanks Falkner. I'm sure it'll come in handy."

And with that, I leave the gym.

The second I walk out the gym, I get a call from Professor Elm.

"Hello, Calypso."

"Hey, Professor."

"Calypso, remember the Pokémon Egg you delivered to me from Mr. Pokémon?"

"Yeah. What about it?"

"Well… apparently, the Egg will only hatch if it is near other active Pokémon."

"And?"

"I need you to take the Egg. One of my aides is in the Poké Mart in Violet City. He has the Egg. Go get it from him, and carry it around with you as you journey around. When it hatches, come show me what type of Pokémon it is. Do you think you could that for me?"

I sweatdrop a little, but then nod in acceptance.

"I can do that, Professor. I'll go get the Egg right now."

"Thanks, Calypso! I know I can count on you."

Then he hangs up.

I walk over the Poké Mart, which is almost next to the gym. I go inside, and see the Aide waiting for me.

"How long have you been waiting here for me?"

The Aide smiles gratefully, and replies, "Not very long, Calypso. I'm just glad you're here. Now, the Professor told you why you're here, correct?"

"Yeah. I'm supposed to pick up the Pokémon Egg, right?"

"Yes", he says as he takes the Egg out of the bag he is carrying and hands it to me. I almost forgot what it looks like. It is a beige color with a red and blue triangle pattern on it. He also hands me a cloth thing with straps on it.

"What is this", I question.

"That", he replies with a smile on his face, "is a device I created myself. It's for carrying Pokémon Eggs! Here, I'll show you how to put it on!"

He takes the Egg from me, and puts it back in his bag. Then, he loops the straps around my arms. When he's done, there's a pouch for the Egg to be carried in.

He gets the Egg back out, and puts it in the pouch.

"There! Aww, Calypso, you look like the perfect surrogate mother!"

Then, the Aide says goodbye, and leaves me in the Poké Mart with the Egg.

I rub my hand over the Egg, and it feels slightly warm. I wonder when it will hatch?

I walk out of the Poké Mart, and go to the Pokémon Center, where the clone heals my Pokémon. Then, I start walking towards Route 32.

I just crossed into Route 32, where I caught Forest not too long ago. Speaking of Forest, I have him walking on my right side right now, while Cyndi is walking on my left side. Both Spirit and Dusk are in their Poké Balls, still tired from the gym battle. They also don't like the sunlight that Route 32 has at the moment.

There's a middle-aged bald guy who blocks me from going through the rest of the route. He smiles at me, and it creeps me out a little. He then looks at Forest and Cyndi, and he smiles again.

"Your Pokémon look really strong! Did you train them at the Violet City Gym?"

I give him my best creeped out look, and I respond slowly, "Yeah… Why?"

"Oh, nothing. Here, I'll give this to you for beating the Gym! It's a Miracle Seed. It boosts the power of grass type moves!"

He hands me the seed, and steps aside so I can pass through. It looks normal, so I give it to Forest.

I traveled along the route, battling all of the trainers, and even some wild Pokémon. I got some phone numbers from a few trainers, too.

I got one from a gossipy girl named Liz who I will enjoy calling in the middle of the night, and one from a fisherman named Ralph, who apparently spends more time with his Pokémon than with his own kids.

It is in the evening by the time I am almost to the Pokémon Center. I go to walk by this creepy looking fat guy, but he stops me.

"How would you like to buy a deliciousss…", he slurps as he says this part, which makes me cringe, "Slowpoke tail? For you, only 1,000,000! How about it?"

I know that people eat Pokémon all the time, but just the thought of someone cutting off a Slowpoke's tail just for consumption really pisses me off. Imagine the pain that poor Slowpoke is in now, if it isn't dead! Not to mention, the price is unreasonably high for even the richest Pokémon Trainer!

"Uh… how about no? Where did you even get that thing, anyway?"

He narrows his eyes, and yells at me to get out of here.

Um… how about fuck you? He's such a creep.

"Cool", I say sarcastically, "See ya, you creep!"

He looks ready to run after me, but Cyndi sends a glare his way. He falters for a second, and Cyndi uses that moment to expose the flames on her back. He runs off, looking scared.

"Nice work, Cyndi. Now I know that creeper won't be stalking us the rest of the way."

She grins in amusement, and rubs her head against my leg. I lean down and run my fingers through her fur. She leans her head against my hand in affection. I also lean down with my other hand, and pet Forest's head. He grabs my hand with his leaves, and shakes my hand.

It is around seven in the evening when we arrive at the Route 32 Pokémon Center. Cyndi and Forest look tired, and I'm actually kind of tired, too.

We enter the Pokémon Center, and I hear both a gasp of joy and a growl of annoyance.

And with those two noises, I knew my night wasn't going to be a night of relaxation, whatsoever.


	8. The Forced Escape

Chapter 8: The Forced Escape

You know something I've been noticing about my life, lately? It's been filled with redheads.

Speaking of redheads, both JC and Silver are staring at me, one with an amused grin, and the other, with an annoyed scowl.

I walk right past Silver, ignoring him, so I can go talk to JC.

"Calypso! I knew you'd get here eventually. How are things going", JC asks rapidly, and excitedly.

"JC, chill out! I'll tell you everything if you just settle down for a moment", I respond with fatigue in my voice. Man, normally I don't get this exhausted very often… Maybe it's because of the constant battling and the fact that I am carrying a Pokémon Egg on my back.

"Is that a Pokémon Egg? You look so cute." That's when JC notices my exhaustion, and frowns. "Man, Calypso, you look like you could use a nap! Do you want a room for the night?"

I nod. "That would be awesome, JC. Are there any Monicas I have to deal with?"

She giggles. "Nope, not this time. It'll be $300 for a room for the night. Sorry, Pokémon Center policy."

I hand her the money, and she goes to lead me to my room. Then, I hear a mutter that sounds a lot like the word, "wimp".

I turn my head around, and of course, it's that jerk, Silver, that muttered the insult. He's just sneering at me, enjoying the flush that comes to my face.

"What did you say", I threaten slowly. I'm in no mood for his shit at the moment.

He just keeps on sneering, and responds, "You heard me… Wimp."

My face goes from a nice blush to the color of a tomato in seconds.

I stomp over towards Silver, dead set on beating the shit out of him. I may be tired, but that doesn't mean I'm going to run away from an obvious challenge. JC, with the help of a couple of Chanseys, manage to hold me by the back of my shirt so I don't pummel him to the ground.

"A wimp, huh? Come over here and say that to my face, you ginger headed loser! We'll see who the wimp is, then!"

Silver lets out a mocking laugh, and just sits there, his smirk infuriating me to no end. 'If JC wasn't here to hold me back, you ass, you'd be worse than dead!', I scream inside my head.

"Calypso, he isn't worth it! Just let it go", JC pleads with me. I shake my head, and try even harder to escape her and Chansey's grasp.

"Calypso, if you don't stop right now, by Pokémon Center law, I have to call the police! I would hate to have to do that to you", JC cries as she tires from the effort of holding me back.

Her police threat makes my body go limp. The police? Well, fuck, Silver isn't worth getting arrested and going to prison for! I just send Silver the dirtiest look I can muster, and then I look back to JC.

"Could you walk me to my room? I'm tired of all this shit, including him", I ask her as I point over to the redheaded jerk.

JC nods tiredly, and she walks to a fairly well sized room with a double sized bed, a couch, a fully functional bathroom, and a desk and chair.

"This should be okay for you. You need a place to put that Egg… I know! I have an incubator somewhere here! I'll go get it!" And with that, JC leaves to find the incubator.

Cyndi and Forest look happy to be in the comfort of the Pokémon Center. Cyndi jumps up on the bed, curls up, and starts snoozing. Forest climbs up onto the bed, and then onto my shoulders, where sits. He looks into my eyes. Sometimes, I swear Forest can see my soul.

"What's up, Forest", I ask him tiredly.

"BellSprout, Bell Bell (Nothing much, just sitting here)", he responds, just as tired as I am.

I nod, and put the Egg in the pouch, which I hung from the lamp. I recline on the bed. Forest's voice is the last thing I hear before I fall asleep.

*JC's Point Of View (POV)*

It's about 8:45 in the evening, and I still haven't found that incubator for Calypso's Egg!

After looking in the storage area, I walk back into the lobby. The lobby is quiet, and no one is in here but me. The few Pokémon trainers that came in earlier have either left, or gone to their rooms. Even Silver, the rude red headed guy who called Calypso a wimp earlier, is in the room he paid me for.

I go to look for the incubator behind the counter, when an Officer Jenny walks in. I am about to say hello, when I notice which Officer Jenny it is.

Remember when I said that each Nurse Joy has a nickname to tell them apart? Well, the Officer Jenny family also use that system.

The Officer Jenny that's in here now is Officer Jenny Paige, also known commonly as JP. She's a recent recruit from the Violet City unit. She became an Officer Jenny only a few months ago. She feels as if it's her job to come into my Pokémon Center and exert her authority over me in the most degrading way possible. I wish she would just stay up in Violet City where she belongs.

Don't get me wrong, I like most of the Officer Jenny family, but I couldn't care less about JP. I wish the Route 32 Officer Jenny, Jenny Anne, would come around more, and scold JP for slacking off her Violet City duties. Every time ask JP where JA is, she just tells me that JA is always needed in Violet City. If this continues for much longer, I'm calling in a complaint!

JP sneers at me in her usual demeaning way. I look at her and snort, not impressed with her actions.

"Well, JC, while I'd like to be here just to tell you how bad of a Nurse Joy you are, I've actually got some work to do. I've got two criminals that the whole Johto Police Department are searching for right now. Here are the wanted posters. I'm putting them up all over the Routes", JP says with a serious note.

I take a look at the first wanted poster, and almost gasp. On it, is a photo of Calypso with a Poké Ball in her right hand, and a serrated four-inch knife in her left hand. It reads,

Name: Calypso Aspen Primrose

Wanted For: THEFT (Goods and Pokémon)

Status: Runaway Minor

Age: 17

Date of Birth: April 8th

Height: 5' 7"

Weight: 135lbs

Hair Color: Brown

Eye Color: Purple

Hometown: Cianwood City

Last Seen In: Cherrygrove City

REWARD FOR INFORMATION ON CALYPSO'S WHEREABOUTS RANGES FROM $100 TO $10,000!

WARNING: If you see this young woman, DO NOT CONFRONT HER! She is considered to be ARMED and DANGEROUS.

If you see this young woman, please call the following number:

911-574-0385

THANK YOU

-Johto Police Department

I stare at the poster for a moment longer, and then I look at the second poster.

The second poster has a striking resemblance to the rude redhead Calypso was fighting with earlier. There are a few differences, though. The guy on the poster has shorter hair, darker eyes, and a longer jacket. Not to mention, the name says Gold. The guy who is staying here told me that his name is Silver.

I decide to do two things:

Shift the Police's attention away from Calypso and this guy, Silver.

Mess with JP.

I decide to take advantage of her lack of experience. I deliberately gasp, and JP glances at me, a questioning look on her face.

"What is it, JC", JP asks.

"Both of these people are staying at my Pokémon Center, right now!"

JP's amber eyes widen. "Well, come on, then! I'll arrest them!"

I stop her, and tell her to quiet down. "Shut up, JP. First of all, they are both very sneaky and hardened criminals. You won't be able to get both of them at the same time."

"So, I'll call for back up!"

"JP, are you stupid? No, then they'll get suspicious! They flinch if they even hear a siren. I have a plan. I'm going to have them share a room, and tell them that a young couple came in, and needs a room. That way, you can get them both at the same time!"

"Okay. I'll wait here, behind the counter."

I go to Calypso's room, and open the door. She's sleeping on the bed. I have to shake her a few times, but she finally wakes up.

"What the hell, JC? I haven't even been asleep for an hour. What do you want?"

"Come on, Calypso. There's a young couple that needs a room, so I'm afraid you'll have to share with someone. So please gather your stuff, and follow me."

Calypso mumbles various curses as she grabs all of her stuff, and returns Cyndi and Forest back to their Poké Balls. Then, she follows me to a room.

I open the door to the room where I know Silver is currently residing. Silver is laying on the king size bed, a book in his hands. He looks up at me with a scowl as I enter the room. Calypso follows in after me, and then glares at me angrily when she realizes whom she has to share with.

"Seriously, JC? You know I hate this guy. All I want is a good night sleep without any distractions! Is that too much to ask for", Calypso says furiously.

Silver glares at Calypso. "You think I'm happy about this? This is the worst thing that could happen to my night. How am I going to sleep with this wimpy chatterbox in here", Silver exclaims in protest.

"Oh, come on, guys! Will you just listen to what I have to say", I plead with the both of them.

Calypso snorts, and then sighs, "I guess so. But only because I know you wouldn't do this to me unless there was a good reason."

I look over to Silver. "Fine", he says crankily, "but make it quick."

I grin at the both of them, and exclaim, "Thank you guys, so much!"

Silver nods his head while Calypso gives me a thumbs-up.

"Okay", I start out, "Here's the situation. Out in the lobby, there is an Officer Jenny. She has wanted posters of you guys. Calypso's wanted poster is spot on, but Silver's wanted poster is pretty messed up."

Calypso and Silver both mutter at the same time, "Yeah, I know. I've seen it."

"Do you guys know what the hell is up with the wanted posters", I ask suspiciously.

Calypso speaks before Silver even has a chance to open his mouth. "Yeah. Let's just say that Silver and I aren't the most morally good people in the world. I'll tell you my entire story after the Officer Jenny thing, but as for Silver's poster, I'm the one who provided information for it. I purposely messed it up."

"Well, that explains it. Anyway, The Officer Jenny that is out there is an Officer Jenny called Jenny Paige, or JP. She's a recent recruit for the Violet City Police Department. For her few months as an Officer Jenny, JP feels as if her job is to tell me how to run my own Pokémon Center, while humiliating me at the same time. In other words, I hate her. So, my plan is to help the two of you evade the police while humiliating JP in the process. Does that sound alright to you?"

Silver nods. Calypso grins, and wraps her arm around my shoulder. "Look's like you and I are on a mission to make another person look like an idiot again!"

I smirk, and respond, "Yep! This will be awesome. Okay, so I told JP that you two are staying here—"

Calypso interrupts me, "What?!"

I scowl at her, "Hey, hey calm down! I have a plan! Now, listen! I told her that both of you are staying here. Of course, JP, being her impulsive self, wanted to arrest the two of you on the spot."

Silver crosses his arms, and replies, "Well, why didn't she?"

I glower at him a little, and respond, "I told her that if she tried to arrest you guys, that she would only be able to get one of you."

"And what did she say", Calypso asks curiously.

"She suggested calling back up", I say, "but I told her that the more police that appeared, the more that you two would get suspicious. I also told her that you two flinch at the sound of police sirens. So what I told her instead is that I am going to make you two share a room so you can be arrested at the same time."

Silver has a hint of a very small smile on his face. "That would be a somewhat decent plan if you were actually trying to arrest us. What are you going to do instead?"

"I'm not quite sure. I have to go out into the lobby to talk to her again in a few seconds. After she leaves, I'll tell you the entire plan. Is that okay", I question while looking at the both of them.

Both Calypso and Silver nod. I leave their room, and then go to talk to JP in the lobby.

*Calypso's POV*

So, JC just left the room to talk to that Officer Jenny, JP, who apparently is a total bitch. I've taken a seat on the couch that's thankfully in the room. Silver is still sitting on the bed, a large book in his hands. His steely silver eyes are not on the book, however; they are on me.

"What are you looking at, you soulless ginger head", I insult.

Silver sneers, and replies, "I'm trying to imagine how small your poor excuse of a brain is. The problem is, I'd probably need an imaginary microscope to see it."

I have to admit, that's a pretty impressive insult. But I'm the Queen of Insults and Comebacks, so it doesn't faze me very much.

"At least I have a brain", I come back with, "When you were born, Arceus clearly forgot to give you your brain."

"And yet, I still have ten times as much common sense as you do", Silver retorts smugly, thinking that he has won our insult war.

I snap back with, "Yeah, but I'm more than ten times the Pokémon Trainer you'll ever be!"

Silver growls at my comeback. I just laugh a little, enjoying my triumph over him. Silver makes an irritated noise, picks up his book, and starts reading again.

I'm still sitting on the couch, bored out of my mind. I'm honestly not a big fan of reading. I mean, I can read, I just don't like to. So reading is out of the question for an activity. I'd like to go back to sleep, but this couch isn't that comfortable. Besides, I want to be awake when JC comes back.

I let out a loud sigh. I see Silver twitch a little bit in annoyance. So, that annoys him, huh? I think I just found the perfect thing to do while I wait.

"Hey, Silver", I say with as much innocence in my voice as I can manage.

"What do you want", he says in annoyance. He looks completely engrossed in his book. I'll have to change that.

"What's it like to not have a soul", I ask innocently whilst laughing on the inside.

Though I can't see most of Silver's face because his book is covering it, the part I can see is quickly becoming the same color as his flaming hair.

"I don't know", Silver answers, his voice trying to mask his anger, "What's it like to be an idiotic girl with no maturity whatsoever, and whom has no skills besides annoying people?"

I shrug, and respond with a smile, "I wouldn't know, except for the not having any maturity part. That's completely true. Maturity is completely overrated, anyway."

Instead of replying, Silver just pulls the book closer to his face. I pout at the lost activity. I decide to think about what JC is telling JP instead…

*JC's POV*

So I just walked out of Calypso and Silver's shared room, and back into the lobby. JP is waiting here for me, shaking in excitement.

"So, can I arrest them now", she exclaims quite loudly.

I frown at her, and reply, "JP, you moron, keep your voice down! You'll let them know that we're onto them! And, no, you can't arrest them right now."

JP crosses her arms, and responds, "And why not? You put them into one room, didn't you? I should be able to arrest them already! Are you aiding the criminals, JC? It wouldn't surprise me."

I shift my hands on my hips, and shoot back, "How dare you accuse me of aiding criminals! I am a law-abiding citizen of the region of Johto! I have been in service as a Nurse Joy for five years, and never once have I gotten a complaint from any customer that has come into my Pokémon Center! Besides, I'm a Rank 4 Johto Service Provider, which trumps your Rank 2! Don't even think that you can come in here and start exerting your authority over a Pokémon Center in an area where you're not even assigned! I ought to call the Department on you!"

JP looks shocked that I even stood up for myself this time. Normally, I just ignore her when she talks her trash about me. She looks like she wants to argue, but I guess she realizes that if I really set my mind to it, I could get her fired from her Department. She grits her teeth, and crosses her arms.

"Okay, I'm sorry for accusing you of helping the criminals…", JP says hesitantly.

"Oh, thanks", I say with a hint of sarcasm.

"So, why can't I arrest them now, anyway", she asks with curiosity.

"Well, since I just moved them into a room together, they'll be extra suspicious. If you try to make a move now, they might catch on. If I were you, I'd wait until midnight to sneak in, and arrest them then. That is probably when they'll be the most vulnerable since both of them are really tired. Come back at midnight, and you can arrest them", I explain to her.

"Oh… okay, I guess that makes sense. I'll come back at midnight, then", JP says finally.

"Alright", I say thankfully, "I'll see you then."

JP says goodbye, and then walks out of the door. I watch through the window to make sure that she is gone. When her and her motorcycle fade into the horizon, that's when I start putting my plan into action.

*Calypso's POV*

I don't know how long it's been since JC went to talk to that Officer Jenny, but it feels like forever. By this time, Silver has finished his book, and is instead, writing or drawing something with a small notepad and a pencil. I asked him what he was doing, but he just grunted and said, "None of your business." Based on his personality, I'd say he's trying to come up with battle strategies.

Since annoying Silver hasn't worked, I'm just sitting on the couch, bored out of my mind. Thankfully, my Poké Gear rings, and I'm saved from death by boredom. I answer the phone, and it's JC on the line.

"Hey, Calypso", JC says with a satisfied tone, "JP just left. Here's the plan. I told her that it would be a bad idea to try to arrest you now because you would be on edge from the room switch. So I told her to come back at midnight."

"Well, that's good", I say, "but what are we gonna do when midnight rolls around?"

"Okay, Calypso, go and get some paper and a pencil. Since it would look suspicious if I went into the room again, I'll just give you the instructions over the phone, where the police can't track you", JC says quietly.

I walk over to where Silver is on the bed, and I grab the notepad and pencil out of his hands. "What the hell", he says angrily.

"I need this to write down important stuff, asshole. Don't be a jerkoff", I explain.

"Okay, so here is the plan", JC says from over the phone, "It's about 9 pm right now. At about 11:30, I want you and Silver to destroy the video cameras that are in your room. That way, the police can't see you guys when you leave."

"Okay, then what", I ask.

"Then, what I want you and Silver to do is escape into the woods through the window in your room. Make an obvious fake trail into an area that you guys aren't going towards. After you do that, hide high up in a tree kind of close to the Pokémon Center, but not too close, in case JP looks in the trees. Hide up in that tree until I call you on your Poké Gear. At that point, JP will be gone, and you guys can come back to the Pokémon Center", says JC happily.

"Okay. I'll tell Silver. See you in two in a half hours", I reply happily.

Silver, who is still fuming over the loss of his notepad and pencil, gets off of the bed, and walks so he's about a foot away from me.

"What's the plan", he says gruffly.

I'm not good at explaining things, so I just hand him the escape plans. He looks over it, and nods in understanding. He then grabs the notepad and pencil out of my hands, tears the escape plan off of it, and hands me the escape plan. Then, he resumes whatever he was drawing beforehand.

I sigh as I find myself as bored as before. It's only around 9:30! What am I going to do for the next two hours? Sleep sounds awesome, but this couch is uncomfortable as hell! I would sleep on the bed, but Silver is sitting on it…

I walk up to where Silver is sitting in the middle of the huge, king-size bed. He notices me approaching, and scowls.

"What do you want this time? Can you not tell that I don't have time for wimps like you", Silver says irritatedly.

"Move", I say as I sit on the bed. When he doesn't move, I am forced to sit uncomfortably close to him so I have room. He gives me a mildly freaked out look, and says,

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

I shrug, making my arm bump into his on accident. I look at the annoyed expression on his face. Since I am so close, I can't help but notice how attractive he is, and how nice he smells… kind of like the smell of burning wood and pine trees…

Wait, what? What am I even thinking? I jump up suddenly, making Silver jump as well, and I quickly sit back on the couch, a safe distance away from him. I hold my head in my hands, cursing myself for even thinking of him in that way.

'But he is pretty attractive…'

'Who the heck are you?'

'I'm your subconscious… and I say that the boy on the bed is a stud muffin!'

'What? Subconscious? I thought I got rid of you a long time ago! And don't call him a stud muffin! He is an asshole, no matter how good-looking he is…'

'Hahaha, you just said that he's good looking! I'm right, I'm so right—'

'Oh, shut up! Yeah, I admit that he's good-looking. I'm not blind. But just because his face is nicely symmetrical doesn't mean that he isn't an asshole!'

'And isn't his long red hair awesome? I mean, imagine having kids with purple eyes and bright red hair—'

"Ahhhhh, shut up, shut up, SHUT UP! There are no kids anywhere in my future", I cry aloud, trying to ignore the nagging voice in my head.

"You know, talking to yourself is the first sign that you're going crazy", Silver says snidely.

I clench my fists, and shoot back, "I hope I do go crazy! Then, when I murder you, I can't be held responsible!"

He is about to reply, but the sound of my Pokégear ringing stops him in his tracks.

"It's only ten o'clock."


	9. Secrets Revealed And A Third Ally?

I approach the Pokégear cautiously, as I don't recognize the number that's calling me. But, despite the danger, I receive a weird feeling that tells me that I should answer the phone.

"Hello", I say quietly, so the person on the other line has less of a chance to recognize my speech patterns.

"Calypso", an equally quiet voice asks, and I can hear a distinct gravelly tone to the woman's voice that almost sounds familiar. The fact that she knows my name rings alarm bells in my mind.

"How do you know my name", I ask harshly and slowly, my tone warning the woman that I mean serious business.

"I've known you since you were born, Calypso. I don't know if you remember me, but I sure as hell remember you. Even though you were a little kid the last time I saw you, I can tell by the tone of your voice that you haven't changed at all. You've got your mother's sharpness of voice, you know", the mysterious woman relays to me.

"How do you know my mother", I growl threateningly, my tone alarming even Silver, who has been listening to my conversation from the bed. He goes to get up, but I motion for him to sit back down, as I don't need his crap right now.

The woman answers vaguely, "I know everything about you, Calypso. I know about your parents, I know about your insane grandmother, and I know about your escape."

The expression on my face changes from a suspicious scowl to an irate snarl in seconds. I can hear the threat in my voice as I respond slowly,

"Who. The. Hell. Are. You?"

The woman on the other line laughs, startling me completely out of my angry mood.

"Damn, Calypso, you've sure got one hell of a temper! You got that from your mom, too. Yeah, I'd tell you who I am if I knew that this phone line had no chance of being tracked. It's probably not, but I always like to be sure, you know? Anyway, I know you're on your Pokémon journey, like any kid your age should be. When you get to Ecruteak City, go to the Dance Studio. Go to the manager, and ask him for "Platinum". He'll immediately know what you're talking about, and he'll lead you back to the owner's office. I'll seen you then."

Suddenly, the raspy voice, mysteriously vague answers, references to my life, and the location she told me all make sense.

"Wait, don't hang up—", I say hastily, but I am too late, as I hear the phone on the other line click.

"Dammit! Of all things I have to deal with, and now there's this crap", I curse aloud.

"What the hell was that about", Silver asks from across the room.

I cross my arms across my chest. "None of your damn business, Ginger Head Man", I mutter deeply.

He just grunts as usual, and goes back to his drawings.

I sigh as I take a look at the room again. I'm sure that I know whom the woman is, but I don't want to get my hopes up by saying her name. So, I force my mind to focus on something else besides her. I look at the clock, which reads 10:15. Arceus, this place is so boring when you're waiting for something to happen. I look up towards the ceiling, and I notice the barely noticeable security camera in the corner of the room. Suddenly, a horrible thought comes to mind.

"Hey, Ginger Head Man", I ask Silver quietly, and purposely not using his real name.

He looks over at me irritatedly, and his face says, 'What do you want?!'

Despite his reaction, I continue on, "Are you sure that the security cameras don't have audio recording? Because if they do, you, me, and JC are screwed."

He makes an exasperated noise. "Of course they don't, idiot. It's illegal for the police to put audio recorders in public places. The only thing that camera can do is watch our actions. Arceus, you say you have common sense, but yet, you don't even know the basics of thievery and law."

I cross my arms across my chest again, and I reply irately, "Well, excuse me if I haven't had the experience that you've had! Unlike you, I haven't had opportunities to learn about those kinds of things, seeing as I've been locked up in a house for about 75% of my life! I am lucky just to be out in the world right now. It was from my own knowledge that I escaped! So you shut your damn mouth about me, and don't talk about things unless you know the while story, asswipe."

His eyes widen in surprise at my outburst, but he quickly recovers, and once again, goes back to his drawings.

To relieve my boredom, I let out Forest, who has since awoken from his nap earlier.

"Hey, Forest, what's up?"

"Nothing much, just as bored as you are."

"You got any ideas on what to do for an hour and fifteen minutes?"

"Not really. Do you have any thing we can do?"

"No, that's why I asked you. Arceus, I wish there was some kind of game or something that we could play."

"Wait, I thought I saw a weird box in the nightstand drawer of our old room. It kind of looked like checkers. Maybe there's one in this room…?"

"We could check."

"Here, I'll look."

Forest jumps off of my shoulders, and walks over to the bed. To my surprise, he uses Silver's stomach as a launching pad to leap over to the nightstand, like a gymnastic would use a trampoline.

The "oof" noise that Silver makes after Forest jumps on him is the most priceless thing ever. I begin to laugh, and the laughter is so powerful that my stomach starts to hurt.

Silver growls, and says menacingly, "Keep your damn Pokémon on a leash, will you?"

"Nah, I don't think I will", I say as Forest opens the nightstand drawer, and pulls out what is indeed, a game of checkers. He drags it over to where I'm sitting on the floor, and opens the box. Then, to my surprise, he starts setting up the board and the game pieces in the correct stance.

"Hey, Forest, how do you know how to do human stuff like playing checkers? I caught you wild, didn't I?"

"Well, actually, I have had a trainer before you. But that was a long time ago…"

"What happened?"

"I guess since you're my trainer now, I should tell you…"

"You don't have to, but you can if you want to. I don't care. Well, I do care, but—well, you know what I mean."

"Yes, I understand. My former trainer, Quinn, was obsessed with intelligence and power. He was all right when you got to know him, but he was a little… power hungry, you could call it. He just had to win every fight, and he just had to do everything correctly or he would have a nervous breakdown."

"Is he the one who taught you checkers?"

"Yes. He thought that by treating and training Pokémon to learn things that humans do would broaden our horizons, and make us more formidable in battles. It worked, but he was never satisfied. Eventually it escalated to the point where we would win battles, but he would still yell at us for things like not having the correct stance or not putting enough power into our attacks. He was crazy."

"Aw, I'm sorry. What happened after that?"

"Well, he became so obsessed with it that he decided that his current Pokémon weren't good enough to cut it at the Pokémon League. He wanted to raise an entire team from eggs, and from the moment those Pokémon were born, raise them as he had raised us. I don't know if he ever accomplished that goal, but what I do know is that one evening, he took four of his other Pokémon and I out to Route 32, and he released us from our Poké Balls. Without saying a single word, he put the Poké Balls on the ground, and smashed them with his feet. Then, he walked away like nothing had ever happened."

"Man, that must have been horrible! I've dealt with some messed up shit, but I've never faced true rejection before. Sorry that happened to you."

"It's all right. You're a good trainer, so I'm in good hands. Now, I'll let you go first since I know you're going to lose.

"Hey! I am not going to lose! I'll have you know that I played checkers with Gran when I was a kid, and I won about 90% of the time! I'm gonna crush you!"

"We'll see. Ladies first."

So Forest and I play checkers for about 40 minutes, and to my dismay, he won 2 out of the 3 games we played!

"Ugh, how did you do that", I complain, while grumpily grabbing the checker pieces and throwing them back into their box.

"I told you that you would probably lose. You underestimated me."

"Okay, maybe I did, but that doesn't mean I like it."

"… Sigh…"

I hear snickering from the bed, and I know it's Silver probably laughing at me.

"What are you giggling about, Ginger Head Man", I question crankily.

He smirks at my obvious crankiness, and replies, "Well, nothing besides the fact that a Pokémon beat you at checkers. I mean, how dense do you have to be to lose not one, but two games of checkers against a Pokémon?"

My eyes narrow as I glare at him. "For your information, Forest's former trainer taught him to be a super Pokémon genius. He's probably smarter than you and all of your Pokémon combined! And besides, I'm a little rusty since the last time I played checkers before this was seven years ago. If you're so confident that you'd be better, then why don't you play three games of checkers with him? If you win two, I'll grudgingly lie to you, and tell you that you're a better Pokémon trainer. If you win all three, I won't annoy you until 11:30. But if you lose two, you have to admit that I'm the better trainer, and if you lose all three, you have to let me write GINGER HEAD MAN on your forehead, let me take a picture of it, and keep it there until after the whole police incident. Deal?"

Silver's face instantly turns stony, but I can almost see gears in his head processing this challenge. He thinks for a few seconds, and then replies,

"Deal. Move and let someone intelligent play, wimp. Alright, you stupid Bellsprout, let's see how good you really are…"

*Thirty Minutes Later*

I giggle happily as I pull out a Sharpie permanent marker. Then, I turn to Silver, who is still sulking over his losses. I smile insanely as I slowly walk towards him, marker in hand. His metal eyes glare at both the marker and I, and as I walk nearer, he steps back.

"Come on, Silver. Do you want to do this the easy way or the hard way? A bet is a bet, and you lost all three games. I will write on your forehead even if I break a few bones in the process. Besides, JC told us not to leave this room until 11:30, so you have nowhere to run."

He glares at me for a few more seconds before sighing and slowly walking up to me. As I uncap the marker and start writing, I hear him muttering, "Stupid fucking Bellsprout. How the hell is a fucking Bellsprout able to not only play checkers, but beat a human at it three times in a row?"

With the last line of the message drawn, I step back to admire my work.

"Ah, what a masterpiece", I say airily as I stare at Silver's forehead in pride. Then, I ruffle his flaming hair, and exclaim rather mockingly, "Aww, you're such a good sport about it!"

He immediately steps back away from me, a mildly freaked out expression on his now flushed face.

"Don't touch me", he growls, as he slaps away my outstretched hand.

"Humph, how rude for a guy who just got his ass whooped in checkers three times in a row by a Bellsprout. Fine, but I still need to take a picture of this moment. It'll stay in my photo album forever", I say the last sentence cheerfully, as I take out Gran's stolen camera, and quickly snap a picture with it.

I then look at the clock, and notice the time: 11:25!

"Silver", I say seriously. The mention of his real name quickly catches his attention. I point to the clock, and he nods in agreement.

"We have to destroy the security cameras. Come on, help me dismantle them", Silver says as he starts reaching up to grab a camera.

"Dismantle them? What are you talking about? We have to completely destroy them, Ginger Head Man! We need to make sure that the security footage is completely destroyed, as well", I reason.

"How can we possibly destroy those security cameras without dismantling them? I don't know if you have some kind of acid gun or something, but if you do, you can use it", Silver argues.

"I don't have an acid gun, you dunce, but what I do have is a living, breathing, flamethrower", I explain smartly.

"Wha—Oh, yeah", Silver says as I let Cyndi out of her Poké Ball. I then recall Forest into his Poké Ball, fearing that he might get hurt from the fire.

"Are you two still here? It's really dark outside; Shouldn't you guys be outside in the trees right now", Cyndi asks.

"Yeah, we're working on that. We need your help."

"What for?"

"We need to destroy these security cameras."

"Destroy the entire camera, and make sure the footage is destroyed?"

"Yep."

"Not a problem. Stand back, both of you."

"Stand back", I say to Silver, who hastily does so.

"Quillll", Cyndi says as the flames on her back rise, and a ball of fire grows near her mouth.

"Lavaaa!" Cyndi shoots the fireball at the security cameras, which quickly melt due to the high level of plastic they're made with.

"Nice job, Cyndi, return", I say as I return Cyndi to her Poké Ball.

"Okay, now we need to make a fake trail. Come on, Ginger Head Man", I say as I open the window, and jump out of it. Unfortunately, I land on some leaves, which make a crunching sound underneath my combat boots. Silver swiftly jumps after me, and doesn't land on anything but solid ground.

"Can't you go a few minutes without making any sound", he asks snidely, referring to my landing.

"Unfortunately not, no. I'm dead clumsy, did you hear me break that vase in the hotel room?"

Silver snarls in response, and takes hold of the bottom of my shirt. Pulling out his switchblade, he cuts off a small piece of the hem.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing", I demand, tearing my shirt out his hand. He doesn't respond, but he instead pulls a few of my hairs out.

"Ow! Arceus! Quit manhandling me, jackass—"

Then, to my surprise, he rips out a few of his hairs, too, and then, unleashes his Croconaw.

"Croconaw, use water gun on the ground", Silver says quietly. Croconaw does so, and then Silver returns him.

"What in the name of Arceus are you doing, Ginger Head Man", I ask crossly.

He sends me an annoyed look, and says, "Fake trail, moron. And quit making so much noise! You're going to reveal us!"

"Well, if you had told me what you were doing, maybe I wouldn't have freaked out!"

Silver doesn't directly reply, but I hear him mutter curses under his breath. What an ass.

He starts stringing the hair in tree branches, and he cuts my shirt piece into smaller pieces, and puts them in thorny bushes as we walk. We both also stepped in the mud, and walked towards where the fake trail will end, so it looks like we went up north on Route 32. Then, wiping off our shoes with the paper towels that I stole from Gran (I stole SO much stuff from Gran), we start climbing through the trees, until we are in a tree close to the Pokémon Center, but far enough away to avoid being seen by JP.

When I check my clock, it says 11:55. Suddenly, I get a call from JC.

"Are you guys in position", she asks quietly, "I can hear JP's motorcycle vrooming down the road."

"Yeah, we're in position. Let her come. We'll be ready for anything."

*JC's POV*

I turn off my Poké Gear just as JP walks through the front door. Not to my surprise, she has a plethora of police weapons with her, including but not limited to, her standard gun, a Taser, a stun gun, rope, and even a hunting knife.

"JP! What the heck are you doing with all of those weapons? Did you think this was gonna be a Quentin Tarantino film or something", I exclaim as she walks up to the counter.

JP gives me an annoyed look, and then poses in a stereotypical gun-shooting position.

"I just thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to test out some of my toys", JP says while positioning back into standing normally.

"Some toys", I say sarcastically, "But, seriously, tone it down. Don't shoot unless attacked, or you will be violating Officer Policy!"

JP just snorts unattractively, and replies, "What would you know about Officer Policy?"

"Well, seeing as I was going to be an Officer before I became a Nurse, I know plenty about it."

JP gasps, and says, "You do not! If you had been, you would have been in my year at Police Academy! You're a liar!"

My rose-colored eyes narrow. "And how do you know that I'd be in your year? Actually, I'm a few years ahead of you!"

JP rolls her cobalt eyes. "Oh, please! Don't give me that crap! You're obviously only seventeen! You're younger than I am! Haha, rookie."

I blink at her blatant stupidity, and I start laughing.

"What are you laughing at?" JP screeches.

"You! I'm twenty-one, you idiot! I am most certainly older and more qualified at both of our jobs than you are." I cry with laughter.

She glares, and says, "You are not! Just look at you!"

I cross my arms, and reply, "Oh, yeah? What's wrong with me?"

She laughs mockingly, "Well, look! You have the body of a twelve year old! You've got nothing!"

Irritated by her ridiculing me, I pull out my Johto Service Card, and hand it to her.

"See this? It's my Johto Service Card."

She rolls her eyes again, and says, "Yeah, what about it?"

"Look at the birthday."

She does, and her face pales.

"Believe me now?" I ask seriously.

"Humph, just because you are twenty-one doesn't mean that you served as an Officer like you said", JP says snottily.

"Look at the back of the card."

She looks, and she goes so ghostly white, that I think she's going to pass out.

"JP? Are you okay?" She doesn't answer, but just keeps staring at my Service Card.

Scared that she might faint, I walk over to her, and say loudly, "Officer Jenny Paige from the Violet City unit of the Johto Police Department, are you ready and able to serve?!"

And with that, she jumps right up, and says, while saluting, "Sir, yes, sir!"

And with that, she breaks into tears. I rush over to her, and gather her in my arms.

"I remember you! You were in the same year as my sister, Jenny Charlotte! You were the best in her year, and she was a slacker! She barely passed, and you passed with flying colors! I idolized you, and when you left the Force to become a Nurse, it broke my heart, because I was looking forward to working with you, and trying to become as good as you were! And when I found out that you were the Nurse who ran this Pokémon Center, I became so mad that I decided I would do everything in my power to make your life hell! I'm so sorry! I never meant it to escalate to this! I'm so sorry!" She cries hysterically.

I am quite shocked by this admission, but I do remember her sister.

I rub her back, and tell her to quiet down. She does.

"Now let me tell you something, hon…"

*Calypso's POV*

"What the hell do you think is happening inside of there", I ask Silver, who has been spending his time carving a tree branch into what is starting to look like a totem pole.

"That Officer Jenny is probably talking JC's head off", Silver says nonchalantly.

"Yeah, that sounds about right, Ginger Head Man", I say, with a taunting tone to my voice.

Silver lets out a faint growl, but doesn't say anything in response.

"Arceus, what is taking so long? I almost want to call her to find out."

"Don't", Silver says suddenly, "If you do, you could just ruin everything, and get us arrested. If you do, I will escape, find your cell, and strangle you."

"Haha, nice try, Ginger Head Man, but I'd have already escaped. You'd have to search all over the world to find me before you could strangle me."

Silver once again gives me the silent treatment, but I don't mind. At least for a few minutes…

"Ugh, Silver, I cant take this anymore! I hate waiting! Can I call her already?"

"NO!"

*JC's POV*

By this time, JP has finally calmed down. We're leaning side by side against the counter, and I say,

"Let me tell you something, hon."

JP looks at me, her cobalt eyes still shimmering with tears. She has the most pathetic expression on her face, and I can't help but feel guilty for laying onto her. She doesn't answer me, so I continue on,

"I did know your sister. Jenny Charlotte, right? Yeah. I definitely remember her. Sure, while your sister wasn't the best person ambitiously or academically, she was one of the sweetest people I've ever known. Whenever I was down, she'd help me back up. She came straight from Arceus, himself. I'm flattered that you would use me as a role model, but don't completely rule out your sister, either. Be alert and book-smart like me, but have her kindness and compassion. It's not like I don't have those traits either, but it's so pronounced in Char. She always liked to listen to peoples' problems, and try to offer solutions that usually worked. If you just keep improving yourself not only to be the most disciplined and attentive Officer, but also the most compassionate and understanding one as well, you'll go far. I promise you."

At these words, JP bursts into tears again. I rub her back, and whisper comforting words to her, but she just shakes her head at me.

"I'm not sad or angry. These are tears of joy. To be told by the person I've always admired that I can go far in life is the most priceless thing to me. Thank you for understanding why I did the things I did, and not hating me for it. You are truly someone to look up to", JP cries. I'm about to respond, when she fully embraces me. Shocked by this contact, I go silent.

"Thank you so much. I'm so sorry. I promise that I will do my best in the Force, and become the best Officer I can be", she whispers.

"It's all in the past, Jenny Paige, it's all in the past. Now, since you are an Officer, would you like to go arrest those criminals in that room with me", I ask her cheerfully.

She instantly perks up, and says, "Yeah!" But then, her expression changes from one of happiness to one of deep thought.

"Hey, can I see those wanted posters again?" She requests. I nod, and hand them over to her. She takes a few minutes to look over them, and before I know what's happening, she says…

*Calypso's POV*

"Arceus, Ginger Head Man, what the heck is going on in there? It's already 12:20, and we haven't heard anything. Not even a single peep of activity", I exclaim tiredly as my butt starts to hurt from sitting in this tree for so long.

Silver doesn't look away from his Pokémon totem pole, but says casually, "You know, patience is a virtue."

I snort, and respond, "Ha, what would you know about virtue?"

Silver continues carving the wings of the Zubat totem, but says in response,

"More than you, Miss Grand Larceny and Destruction of Property."

My amethyst eyes narrow, and I reply heatedly, "There was a perfectly good reason that I did those things."

Silver rolls his eyes. "Oh, I bet there was", says Silver sarcastically.

"Oh shut up, Ginger Head Man", I grumble as I check my Pokégear again. Ugh, 12:25.

*JC's POV*

"Hey, can I see those wanted posters again?" JC requests. I nod, and hand them over to her. She takes a few minutes to look over them, and before I know what's happening, she says,

"You know, these people on the wanted posters probably had a good reason to do what they did… JC, do you know anything more about these people than on the posters?" JP asks me questioningly.

I sweat a little, because I'm a notoriously horrible liar when asked a direct question. Everyone in the Service Department knows it.

"Umm… Not really…"

JP crosses her arms, and stares at me intently. "Come on, JC. I tell that you're lying. Come on, tell me the truth. I don't bite."

I grab her arm, and pull her into my quarters before shutting and locking the door.

"Look, this is a serious secret. If anyone tells the Police Department, I could not only lose my job and Service Card, but I could be put into jail. So before I tell you anything really important or controversial, you have to swear to me that you won't tell anyone, and that you aren't recording this or anything like that", I say quietly.

JP gasps, and says, "So you are helping them!"

I sigh, and respond, "First swear to me that this doesn't get out to anyone."

JP looks at me for a second or two, and then nods. "Even though you've done some bad things in your lifetime, JC, I bet you had a good reason for doing them, unlike me. If I criticized you for this, then I would be a total hypocrite. I mean, I'm supposed to be patrolling Violet City, but instead, I spend my precious Officer time making your life hell. Yeah, I swear that nothing you say to me will ever be mentioned to another person, unless you ask for it to be. I promise you that much."

I smile gratefully, and reply, "Thank you so much, JP. Now, do you want me to tell you the whole thing?"

The younger girl nods, so I continue on.

"Okay, so those two criminals and the wanted posters. I'm friends with the one named Calypso. I didn't know she was wanted until you showed me the poster a few hours ago. The reason we became friends was because she helped me get revenge on a particularly nasty client. I was subbing for Jojo at the Cherrygrove Pokémon Center. Then this creature came in… her name was Monica—"

JP interrupts me. "Hey, there was a girl named Monica who logged in a Theft report yesterday. She was a nightmare. Did your Monica have obviously dyed beach blonde hair, breast implants, extremely short short-shorts, a makeup plastered face, and an extremely nasally voice?"

I start laughing so hard that I almost fall over. "Yeah, that's exactly her."

"Yeah, her name is Monica Blodvek. She's nineteen years old, and she got her Misdreavus stolen."

I nod, and reply, "Monica had been with a group of her four friends, who were severely loud and annoying. They were also cursing very loudly. They were so loud that they woke up the entire room of baby Pokémon, and got complaints from a lot of guests. It was a disaster."

JP stares at me, an expression of blatant disbelief on her face. "Why didn't you just call an Officer to assist you? What you're describing could easily be classified as Harassment and Disturbing the Peace charges."

"Well", I start to explain, "The man that owns the Cherrygrove Center is a very greedy and selfish man. He will do anything to keep customers, even if that means he has to bend the rules for them. That's what he did in the case of Monica. So she and her friends were being obnoxious, and I was telling them to keep quiet. But they didn't listen. One of them even told me to fuck off. Of course, I wasn't about to take that, and I was going to kick them out. But, Mister-Big-Pokémon-Center-Owner stepped in. Monica became a crying mess, claiming that I had yelled at her, and some ridiculous stuff like that. So, he made her inn fee free, and her gave her a gift card to the local restaurant. There was no way I could win."

"That sucks. I'm sorry you had to deal with that. How'd Calypso play into this", JP asks me.

"Well, Calypso had wanted a room for the night. Unfortunately, the only option she had was to share with someone. I really didn't want to put her with Monica, but there weren't any other rooms available. Before she had booked the room, Calypso had done me a favor by telling me that my skirt was too short, and that it exposed my underwear, so I was already grateful to her", I tell her.

"I don't know much about Calypso, so I cant really guess how she probably reacted. How did she react", JP asks in response.

"Oh, she was totally cool with it. I told her about how much of a nightmare Monica is, and what she did to me. Not only did she agree to share the room, but she pranked the heck out of Monica!"

JP laughs, and replies, "What did she do?"

"Well, she dyed Monica's hair blue by putting blue dye in her shampoo, and she painted hot sauce on the cinnamon gum that Monica had."

JP starts laughing hysterically, and when she finally stops, she responds with,

"Do you know what happened with Monica's Misdreavus, whose name was Jessica, apparently", JP inquires.

"Oh, you mean Dusk? Yeah, Calypso took her. Look, I don't agree with Pokémon theft, or theft of any kind, for that matter. But Calypso said that Dusk told her that Monica abuses her, which actually doesn't surprise me. When I saw Dusk leaving with Calypso, that Misdreavus looked so relieved to away from Monica. Calypso probably saved Dusk from what was probably a horrible life. That is what tells me that she isn't a heartless criminal", I end with.

"I guess that makes sense", JP says slowly while looking at Calypso's wanted poster again, "The poster says that Calypso is a runaway minor. Do you know anything about that?"

I shake my head, and respond, "No, I don't think she likes to talk about her past, or her family. The only person she's ever mentioned is someone named Gran."

JP thinks about this for a second. "Probably a grandmother. I don't know the exact details of Calypso's background, but I have a feeling that something surrounding her past is strange."

I nod my head in agreement. There is something weird about how Calypso never mentions her family.

"So, who's the other guy", JP asks me as she pulls out Silver's botched up wanted poster.

"Oh, him? Calypso gave the information for his poster, and she purposely messed it up, though I don't know why, because it seems like she completely hates the guy." I explain.

"Ah", JP says.

"Yeah, his real name is Silver, and his hair is longer and brighter in real life. His eyes are also lighter, and his shirt is shorter. He is also wanted for Theft."

"Interesting", JP mutters quietly. She goes into deep thought for a minute or two before asking,

"Are they really here in the Pokémon Center?"

I raise one eyebrow, and respond, "Depends on whether you plan on arresting them or not."

JP's eyes widen, and she says, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but no, I want to help them."


	10. Tragic Backstories and JP's Plan

*Calypso's POV*

It's about 12:35, and there's been no sign or indication that JC has gotten rid of JP yet. I am extremely bored, while Silver over here has gotten the Zubat part of his totem done, and he's starting to carve what looks like a Gastly. Hey, if there's one good thing that I can say about him, it's that he has awesome artistic ability.

I decide to follow suit, and I go to cut off a tree branch, when suddenly, my Pokégear rings. Seeing that it's JC who's calling, I immediately get excited, and I answer the phone.

"JC", I ask, my voice higher in tone due to my delight.

"Yeah, it's me. You guys can come in now; the coast is clear. But could both of you come to my quarters? I need to talk to both of you", JC requests, though her voice sounds a bit different than normal.

"Cool. We're on our way in."

I hang up the phone, and poke Silver in the shoulder, causing him to mess up the tooth of his Gastly. He turns to me, his already cold steel eyes becoming even colder as he grits his teeth in anger. "And what the hell was that for", he growls.

I shrug casually and respond, "JC just called to let us know that we can come back in. But she told me that she needed to talk to us in her quarters."

His steel eyes slowly soften, but a glimmer of a glare still glowers heatedly within them. Once again, he swiftly jumps, and lands soundlessly on the ground. That pompous bastard.

I also jump off, but I don't land as neatly as Silver did, of course. My klutziness is a curse that I wish would just go away, but no, I'm the kid who always trips or knocks over stuff, no matter where I am. Thank Arceus for those insoles, or I would be a complete klutz.

Silver goes in through the window, and I follow suit. We walk through the room, passing the ever-sizzling plastic of the singed security cameras. I'm surprised that the plastic hasn't completely melted and oozed onto the floor yet. I feel somewhat guilty for destroying Pokémon Center properly, so to avoid future mess, I open my bag, and shuffle through it. Finding the metal pan I was looking for, I lay it directly underneath where the melted plastic might begin ooze. That way, JC doesn't have an even bigger mess to clean up.

I follow Silver into the lobby, where he is gazing around. I tap him on the shoulder again, and say,

"The Nurse's quarters are over here, dumbass."

Silver scowls, but follows me into JC's quarters. There, JC is sitting on the bed, her hands in her lap, almost timidly. Her rose eyes are focused on the ground. I find this very strange.

"So, what's up, JC", I ask hesitantly.

She looks up, but refuses to meet my eyes. "I just wanted to talk about the wanted poster thing…"

I raise an eyebrow, and respond, "Are you sure that JP is completely gone?"

She is about to answer, when suddenly, the door to the closet opens, and a disheveled JP comes hurling out of the closet, gun in hand. She quickly propels herself in front of the only exit (JC's quarters don't have windows), and yells loudly,

"Not so fast, dirt bags! I've got you surrounded!"

*JC's POV*

Okay, so this is not exactly what it looks like. No, I am not trying to get Calypso and Silver arrested. There is a purpose to this. But I wish JP didn't have to be so dramatic about everything.

Calypso and Silver instantly tense up at JP's appearance, and I look down at the floor again when I feel the burn of Silver's death glare on me. Then, as quickly as it was focused on me, it shifts onto Calypso, who doesn't appear to be affected by it.

"You see", Silver snarls to Calypso, "I never should have trusted any of you." He looks directly at me as he says the next part, "Now I know why snitch rhymes with bitch."

I lower my head again in shame, but this time, a different kind of expression is directed at me. I look up, and my rose eyes meet with Calypso's amethyst ones. They seem to be saying, 'Why would you do this to me? I thought we were friends!'

Calypso and Silver then turn around to face JP, who is still in her gun-shooting position in front of the door. She's still maintaining her composure, but I can tell that she's dying to let go of it.

Calypso and Silver glower at JP, which makes her start to lose composure. Suddenly, she bursts.

"Hahahahaha", she laughs as she puts her gun back in her hip-holster. "I cannot believe that you two fell for that", she continues laughing, and soon, her pale face is flushed, and tears are running down her face.

"What the hell is going on", Silver demands angrily.

"Haha, you guys thought that I was going to arrest you… haha", JP finishes, chuckling at the end. Then, she closes the door to my quarters, walks over to my bed, and slouches down on it.

Calypso looks completely confused, while Silver is just glaring at everyone, not sparing anybody of his death glare.

"JC, seriously, what the fuck is going on", Calypso asks tiredly.

I am about to speak, when JP cuts me off. "Look, I'm not going to arrest you guys. I talked to JC about you guys. There has to be some reason that you two did what you did, and besides, I'm under a gag-rule, so I can't tell anyone anything I learned about you guys, or the fact that JC has been helping you this whole time."

Calypso is now immensely confused, and she looks so exasperated by this whole thing, that she too goes over to the bed, and falls onto it.

"Could you two please explain to me what the fuck is going on", Calypso inquires.

"Yeah", I respond, and then I look to Silver, who is still standing and glaring, "You might want to sit down, this might take awhile…"

*Calypso's POV*

"So I thought that you and JP hated each other", I start as Silver finally sits his ass down on the bed, though purposely as far away from the rest of us as he can possibly reach without falling off.

"Well, we never really hated each other, it was just a case of intense dislike", JC says slowly.

JP gazes over at JC with a raised eyebrow. "What she's trying to say is that she used to be an Officer, but she left the Force to become a Nurse. She is awesome at whatever she does, and when I first became a trainee four years ago, she had just graduated the Police Academy. She was my role model, and during my trainee years, I wanted to be exactly like she was. She was disciplined, she was alert, and she was exactly the type of Officer a department dreams of housing. My sister, Jenny Charlotte, was in her year, and she was by no means ambitious or academically inclined. So I cast my sister away, and I started to idolize Jenny Cameron, here. But, three years ago, when she decided that she wanted to be a Nurse instead of an Officer, it broke my heart because I wanted to learn under her, and I wanted to work with her to become exactly like her. I became angry at the world, but my determination didn't waver, and I passed my Police Exam five months ago. When I heard that JC was the one who ran this center, I was so angry that I decided that I would waste my time down here on Route 32 just to torment her. I did it everyday, until now. That's why she hated me so much. But now I realize my mistakes, and I am so sorry about them. Thankfully, she has decided to forgive me, despite all of the horrible things I've done."

"Wow", I exclaim after she finishes, "I didn't know you two had such a long history."

JC and JP look at each other, and reply in synchronization, "We didn't know, either!"

I look over to Silver, who seems beyond irritated at this point.

"What does any of this have to do with the situation at hand?" He grumbles rudely.

JP puts her hands on her hips again, and gives Silver the stink-eye.

"Hey, buddy! I'm not the enemy, here! Actually, you should be grateful for me not immediately arresting your ass! If JC here weren't so nice, then I'd be putting your ass in the slammer as of now!"

Silver crosses his arms, and responds harshly, "Then why aren't you?"

"Yeah", I interrupt, "Why haven't you arrested us? We've seen the wanted posters. We both know you have enough evidence to do it."

JP sighs, and looks at the ground for a few seconds. Then, she speaks.

"I guess that the whole drama with JC changed me a bit, and gave me a different view on people who are portrayed as criminals. I mean, my Officer badge says that I'm a law-abiding citizen of the Johto region. It gives me the authority to make arrests, and other cool police privileges. But with that authority comes responsibility. And I hate to admit it, but I've abused my powers as an Officer. I've harassed JC ever since I graduated the Academy. And I'm lucky she hasn't called my higher-up to report me for it. When you're on the criminal spectrum of things, you find yourself more sympathetic towards others on that same spectrum. I guess that's what's happened to me."

I furrow my eyebrows, a bit confused.

"Well, if you're not going to arrest us, then what do you want?" I ask JP.

"What I want… is answers", she gestures to both Silver and I, "from both of you. I've given you both the benefit of the doubt, and if you two want me on your side, then I'm gonna need some explanations. I know the police are trying to charge both of you with theft. What I want to know is why. Oh, and, you", she points at me, "I'm gonna need some info on your family situation. Your wanted poster says that you're a runaway minor, and I'd like you to elaborate on that. That's all I want. But if you guys give me bullshit lies, then I'm gonna arrest you both, got it?"

I take this in before glancing at Silver to gauge his reaction. Amethyst and steel meet for a few seconds before I receive a subtle nod. I turn my gaze back to JP.

"That's reasonable", I reply, "for both of us. But, we do have some conditions before we talk."

JP rolls her eyes, and says playfully, "All right, what do you want?"

I snicker. "All we want is just the guarantee that you aren't recording us, and that you won't arrest us until you've heard everything we've had to say. Deal?"

JP smiles. "Deal."

Silver and I shake JP's hand to make the deal official. Then, I ask, "So, shoot. What do you want to know?"

"Well, I know your name is Calypso. Calypso Aspen Primrose, to be more specific. But your wanted poster says that your name is Gold, when I've been told differently", she says as she gestures to Silver, "What's your real name?"

"It's Silver." He says hesitantly.

JP nods. "Okay, but what's your full name?"

Silver grits his teeth. "I don't have one. My mother died when I was a toddler, and my father abandoned me when I was nine. I've been on my own for nine years. My mom named me Silver because of my silver eyes. That's the only thing I know about my ancestry."

JP's eyes widen. I guess she wasn't expecting such a tragic backstory. Although, to be honest, it doesn't surprise me. I think Silver's backstory fits him well. Though, I almost think that there's something more that Silver isn't telling us. But, hey, if there is, I'm not gonna point it out. That's his business, and JP doesn't seem to notice.

"All right. Wow. I'm sorry about your mother", JP says, shock obvious in her tone. She then turns to me. "So what's your tragic family backstory?"

I laugh mirthlessly, thinking of Gran, and her crazy ways. "Well, it's quite a long story."

"We have time", JP responds, "So go ahead."

I sigh, an irritated smile on my face, if that makes any sense.

"Well, I suppose I should start at the beginning. You know how my wanted poster says that my hometown is Cianwood City?"

All three of them nod, having seen my wanted poster.

"While the wanted posters say that, Cianwood isn't where I was actually born. I was born in Ecruteak City. As for my parents… I actually remember a lot about them. I know that my mom was at one time, a Kimono Girl. I also know that my dad worked as a fisherman, and that he was from Cianwood. I don't know how they met, but I do know that they got married a year before I was born, and my dad moved from Cianwood to Ecruteak to live with my mom, probably because of her affiliation with the Kimono Girls. They had me while they were living there. For a while, life for them, and eventually, me, went well. But, of course, life doesn't always go according to plan."

At this point of my story, both JC and JP are on the edge of their seats, the suspense almost too much for them. Silver isn't as affected as they are, but I can tell that my story has ensnared his interest.

I continue. "One day, my parents decided to go on a leisurely stroll through Route 42. Both of my parents were accomplished Pokémon trainers—my mom rather more than my dad—and they both had their Pokémon with them at the time. The Pokémon on that Route apparently aren't that high-leveled or dangerous. But this one Pokémon spotted my parents walking through the route. I know this Pokémon wasn't a native of this route, because it was way too high-leveled. I'm guessing that it was a Pokémon that some trainer had released. It attacked my parents before they even had any time to call out any of their Pokémon. They ended up drowning that day, and the police report called it accidental drowning. "

"Wait, then how do you know that it was a Pokémon that killed your parents?" JC asked.

"Well, when I was 13, I read this book on Pokémon, and I came upon an interesting species. It was the Pokémon, Hypno. I read about how Hypno are able to hypnotize people, and lead them away. I know my parents well enough that there was no way that both of them could accidentally drown, as they were both strong swimmers. They taught me how to swim. And neither of them would ever commit suicide, as they both loved life. I know that a Hypno hypnotized them, and caused them to drown. I could tell by the look of horror on their faces when their bodies were found. I was only four when they died."

Both JC and JP's mouths are agape. Silver doesn't openly react, but instead, his steely eyes widen subtly.

"Oh my Arceus, Calypso, I am so sorry you had to go through that! What happened after your parents died?" JP questions reluctantly.

"It's all right, I've gotten used to it. On the night that they died, Tina, my mom's best friend, and practically her sister, was babysitting me. When my parents didn't come home when they said they would, she became worried, especially because my mom was known to be perfectly punctual. She called the police, and my parents were reported as missing. It took the police around 8 hours, but they eventually found their bodies in the lake. Their funeral was a week after their bodies were found.

Of course, I became an orphan after their deaths, and someone had to be appointed as my new guardian. In my parents' will, it said explicitly that if anything ever happened to my parents, that Tina should become my guardian. And I had no problem with that, because I loved Tina just as much as I loved my parents. When my parents were alive, she practically lived with us, and she was a part of the family. She was best guardian a new orphan could possibly hope for. She was my guardian until she came along, and ruined everything…" I trailed off, the hatred in my tone obvious to everyone listening.

"Who is she", both JC and JP ask.

I sigh. "I typically don't talk about her if I don't have to, but I want you to know the hell she's put me through over the years. I need to talk about her. She's my dad's mother. My paternal grandmother. I call her Gran."

"Is she the one who listed you as a runaway minor?" JP asks.

I grit my teeth, and respond, "Yes. My grandmother is a very cautious, uptight, ignorant old hag of a woman with an irremovable stick up her ass. She always has been, even before my parents' death, and probably always will be. After my parents' death, she became even more so.

Of course, I told you that Tina became my guardian after their deaths because of their will. But just as Tina and I had just started to adjust to life without my parents, Gran travelled all the way from Cianwood City to claim me. She claimed that she was my 'rightful' guardian.

But Tina was no pushover. She flat out refused to give Gran custody of me, pointing out my parents' will. So Gran did what any respectable old hag would do."

"And what was that", JC asks, an amused expression on her face.

"She took Tina to court. Somehow, Gran has connections with people in the Johto judiciary. So she got the most conservative, old-fashioned bigoted geezer judge that she could to take the case."

"But even with the judge, how did your Gran get the case into the court in the first place? If it was your parents' wishes, then that should be the final decision." JP asks.

"Well, Gran appealed it on the grounds that she was blood-related to me, while Tina wasn't."

JC, JP, and even Silver look baffled at this particular fact. Silver speaks up, "I'm considered to be a hardened criminal in my own right, and even I know that that is some corrupted shit."

JC and JP glance at Silver with raised eyebrows. After a few seconds of this, Silver gives them both a death glare, and says sharply, "What? You know we were all thinking it."

I continue on. "Well, of course the judge was bound to be on my Gran's side. He already knew Gran before he took the case, but also, the minute he met Tina, he was prejudiced against her."

"Why was he prejudiced?" JC inquires.

"Well, while Tina was a very good guardian, her outward appearance suggested otherwise. She was really petite, around 4'11", but very heavily muscled. She was also very heavily tattooed and scarred because before she became friends with my mom, she was in a biker gang. She had short jet-black hair that she always wore in a small ponytail, and she always wore things like belted corsets, leather pants, and combat boots.

Because of that, the judge always ignored any good points that were made of Tina, and always highlighted her biker gang past, suggesting that it made her mentally unstable, and possibly violent. Also, he ignored all of Gran's obvious flaws, including the fact that she assaulted Tina when Tina wouldn't hand me over. After only two days of court, the judge granted custody to Gran, even though he saw me start to cry when I heard the verdict. I don't know how the man lives with himself after seeing me kicking and screaming bloody murder when the police officers dragged me away from Tina."

"As I said before, complete corrupted bullshit. Most of the Johto judiciary is." Silver says after a few moments of silence.

"What happened after the court decision?" JP asks.

"Gran dragged me kicking and screaming bloody murder back to Cianwood to live with her. She kept me locked up in the house most of the time, home-schooled me, and never let me outside unless I went shopping with her.

By the time I was ten, I had noticed that all of the other kids in Cianwood were always playing outside. Before then, I had always been too scared to ask Gran to go outside, because Gran has quite a temper. But I finally got the courage to ask her, and of course, she originally refused, because she was afraid that I would get hurt or sick.

But I was—and still am—a very clever and resourceful kid. I told her that the man at the famous Cianwood Pharmacy told me that kids who never go outside typically become sick more often than kids that do. I think the only reason she believed me was because I said it was the Pharmacy Guy who told me, and he has several medical degrees. So she let me play outside—but only under careful supervision. Still, I was grateful for those moments.

This may sound off topic, but my dad was into skateboarding. After he and Mom died, Gran inherited everything he owned, including his skateboard collection. One day, when I was bored, I decided to explore the house. I happened to come upon Dad's skateboard collection in the basement. I showed them to Gran, and asked her if I could try riding one. She responded in her regular way, saying no, and telling me that 'oh no, I could get hurt!' I begged her to let me ride one, but she still refused.

As a kid who always followed the rules, I found her decision completely unreasonable. So, that night, I tried to sneak outside to ride the skateboard. But, even as a kid, I was cursed with klutziness. I accidently knocked over a stack of books with the skateboard, and it woke her up.

To say she was pissed would be an understatement. She was so angry that she snapped the skateboard in half with her bare hands right there, in the middle of the night. She also forbade me from going outside for a week.

That night changed my life. Her unreasonable behavior pissed me off so much that I vowed that night that one day, I would escape from that prison, and until I did, I would make her life a living hell. I hated her, and my life. Actually, I didn't know what hate was until that night."

At this point, no one dares to speak, the hatred in my tone almost having a paralyzing effect on everyone. Well, almost everyone.

"She's not lying. Well, at least about hating her Gran. You know, I never thought I'd find a person who hates someone as much as I hate my father. But here you are." Silver breaks the silence as he speaks to me, the hate in his tone matching mine in intensity.

I nod silently and continue on.

"I stayed true to my vow. I tried multiple times to escape, but my curse of klutziness never allowed me to execute it properly. Also, every time Gran caught me sneaking out, she would snap a skateboard. So, for the sake of the skateboards, I stopped trying to escape. But, I did make her life hell."

Silver raises an eyebrow. "Define hell."

"Well, I started out by making random little possessions of hers go missing.

The first thing to go was a gold ring of hers. It wasn't a particularly important ring, mainly because I wanted to test her reactions before I did anything really bold. So, one night, I managed to sneak into her room undetected, and steal the ring. The next day, when she took me shopping with her, I told her that I needed to use the bathroom. She let me go, but she made sure I wasn't going anywhere by waiting outside the bathroom for me. I was eleven at the time, so I had just started wearing training bras. I had the ring hidden in my bra."

JC and JP chuckle. "Way to demonstrate the proper use of the bra." JP says, while laughing.

I grin at her. "Thanks! Well, anyway, while I was in the bathroom stall, I put the ring in that little metal box that women put used tampons in. I can tell you now that the employee who was in charge of cleaning out those boxes wasn't there after that day, for obvious reasons.

It took a few days for Gran to notice that the ring was missing. She asked me if I knew where it was. I told her no, so she guessed that she just misplaced it somewhere. She never did find that ring."

JC laughs, and says, "That sounds exactly like something you would do. Is that where you learned all your hilarious pranks?"

I smile. "Of course! If people are being assholes, then I'm going to mercilessly prank their asses. Anyway, back to the story.

After the ring, I decided to be a bit bolder. I stole an old lady perfume of Gran's. It was a really bad perfume, and she used it all the time, so she'd always smell like an old hag. It was really daring of me, especially because it was a perfume that her mother gave to her. I was eleven when I did this, too.

Instead of doing it during the night, I decided to do it during the day for an added thrill. On that day, Gran was busy making a very temperamental soufflé dinner. There was a very lengthy and detailed list of steps that she had to follow if she wanted it to come out right. And that day, she had to make sure it was right, because for once, she had invited her harpy friends over. So, that's when I struck.

I snuck into her room again, and stole the perfume while she was occupied with the soufflé. I unscrewed the bottle, and as an added 'Fuck you', I dumped the remaining perfume onto her old dinosaur computer. I then put the empty bottle back into her room, hoping that she would think that she used all of it. She did, and was quite puzzled the next day when the computer crashed."

JC and JP start laughing hysterically, and I even see Silver snickering a bit. When they stop, JP asks me,

"Since you're here with us now, you somehow escaped. How did you do it?"

"Well, in order to escape, I had to win Gran's trust first, because I couldn't sneak out of the house. So, starting when I was 15, I began to behave properly. I never played tricks, I didn't try to escape, and for a year, I acted like a model child. On my sixteenth birthday, Gran began to trust me enough that she started letting me go outside without supervision, and she let me 'play' with the other kids."

"Why did you say play in that tone?" JP asks curiously.

"Because I really wasn't playing. I was actually picking fights with them, and sometimes, beating them up."

Silver finally bursts into laughter, surprising all of us. JC and JP are looking at me in disapproval. I shrug my shoulders at them, and respond,

"Hey, those little fuckers deserved it. They are spoiled rotten brats who were always bragging about what their rich relatives from other regions would buy them. And they were always calling me names! Oh, look, it's the witch! Watch out for the loony insane asylum patient! They picked on me just because Gran is zubat-shit insane! Just because she's crazy doesn't mean I am too! They're nothing but judgmental bastards!"

JP seems shocked by my harshness, but neither JC nor Silver bat an eyelash. JP looks at both of them, and asks,

"Does she normally talk like that?"

JC nods, while Silver jumps at the opportunity to insult me. "Yeah, she's just a bitch like that."

I flip him the bird, which makes JC laugh, and shocks JP a little more. "Don't you have a story to be telling?" She questions playfully.

"Oh yeah. So, one day, Gran let me outside unsupervised. So I walked down to the Cianwood Pharmacy to buy some medicine for her, because she had a sinus infection. While I was there, I struck up a conversation with the Pharmacy Guy. I told him all about my situation at home, and how zubat-shit insane Gran is. I also told him about my escape plans. To my surprise, he believed me! He told me that he always thought that Gran was crazy, and that he would help me escape.

So, we conspired together to get me the hell out of there. When I told him that I always wanted to be a Pokémon Trainer like my parents, he taught me the basics of being a Pokémon Trainer, even though I didn't have any Pokémon. I started making weekly visits to talk to him. Our conversations are what kept me sane for a while.

Then, about a week before I escaped, I made my weekly visit to Pharmacy Guy. But it was that particular visit that changed my life for the better.

Pharmacy Guy told me that he had a friend that was traded a Pokémon that ended up hating him. The guy that traded it to him refused to trade back, so he was stuck with the Pokémon. Pharmacy Guy told him about my situation, however, and how badly I wanted a Pokémon. So, he gave the Pokémon to Pharmacy Guy, to give to me.

I know JC and Silver have seen her, but as for you", I say to JP, "That Pokémon is a Murkrow. I named her Spirit, because it was my spirit that kept me sane for all of those years.

Thankfully, she came in a Poké Ball, so I was able to hide her from Gran. When I went outside, I would let her out to stretch her wings and play.

However, because she is a forest-dwelling Pokémon, she hated the beach environment, but she tolerated it for me. Actually, Pharmacy Guy told me that Spirit had hated every single person that ever owned her, even for the smallest amount of time. He also told me that before him, that she had had a total of 10 owners or trainers. For some strange reason, she likes me. I guess 12 is a lucky number. She is the best starter Pokémon I could of ever hoped for.

On the day of the escape, Gran had to travel to Goldenrod City for jury duty. By that time, she trusted me enough to leave me home alone. That was her mistake, and my miracle.

The day before, I told Pharmacy Guy that Gran had to go to Goldenrod; he told me that it was the perfect opportunity to escape. He told me to meet him the next day by the shore near the Pharmacy, along with everything I wanted to take with me. So, the next morning, Gran left for Goldenrod at 8am.

About an hour after she left, I gathered up all of my stuff, including my dad's best skateboard. I also collected several basic necessity items, like soap, paper towels, etc. Then, I broke into her safe, and stole 10,000 of her life savings. I also took an old blanket of my mom's, several items for pranks, most of her more valuable jewelry, and the old Army knife that had belonged to my grandfather before he died."

"Well, there's the theft charge." JP mutters.

I laugh. "Theft? I looked up the value of all the items I stole, and according to the Johto Crime Association website, I could be charged with Grand Larceny! Besides, I did more than just steal stuff…"

JP glances back at me, an alarmed expression on her face. "Calypso, what did you do?!"

Silver, whose expression is amused, tells JP, "Well, she mentioned to me once that she could be charged with several counts of Destruction of Property…"

JP whips her head back around to look at me. "Calypso! This is serious! WHAT DID YOU DO AFTER YOU RAIDED HER HOUSE?"

I raise my eyebrows, and shrug. "Well, he's not wrong. I basically trashed the place in a blind rage. In my defense, I think I was legally insane at the time it happened. But among other destructive things, I distinctly remember using my grandfather's golf clubs to shatter the TV screen, and all the mirrors, dumping all of Gran's old lady perfumes onto the gas burners on the kitchen stove, pocketing the bottles with precious metal and gems on them, throwing the worthless ones at the wall, shattering them, writing offensive words on the walls in permanent marker, drawing moustaches and devil horns on every picture of her in the house with permanent marker, cutting holes in all of her clothes… and probably a lot of other stuff that I can't remember… I was so enraged. After I was done, I went to the shore like Pharmacy Guy wanted me to. To my surprise, he had a friend of his get a ferry for me to take to New Bark Town. He told me to go to Elm's lab to get a Trainer's license, and a Pokémon. So, that's what I did. That was two days ago."

All of them are looking at me as if I am insane now, well, except for Silver. Silver is the only one who seems to have any sympathy for me at the moment. Must be a criminal thing.

"My Arceus, Calypso, no wonder the police are looking for you! Grand Larceny and Destruction of Property! You could be facing up to 20 years in prison!" JC exclaims, shock evident in her tone.

I give them all a stony expression. "Look, I know this may sound sociopathic, but I'm not sorry for anything that happened that day. I don't feel sorry for what I did to her and that house. They mean nothing to me. All that hag will ever mean to me is a horrible bitch that ripped me away from the perfect life I could've had with my favorite person in the world. She locked me up in that prison of a house for the majority of my life, and never allowed me to express who I am. I hope that every time she looks at the pictures on her walls, or thinks of the objects that I destroyed, she remembers that it's all her fault. She is the one who imprisoned me. If she didn't want me to fuck up her life, then she shouldn't have left me alone in that house."

Silver is the only one who doesn't look like he is ready to shit bricks. JC and JP seem to think I should be in an asylum.

Silver notices the astonished expressions on JC and JP's faces, and to my surprise, he speaks up in my defense.

"Don't look at her like that. I don't know about you two, but I've been in blind rages many times, and half of the time, you don't know what's happening until everything is over and done. Actually, JP, from what you told me, when you found out that JC left the Police Force to become a Nurse, you had a blind rage that caused you to go onto harass JC ever since you graduated. I don't think you have room to talk. While I may think Calypso is a giant pain in the arse, I think there's a reason she did the things she did. And I don't blame her for doing any of those things. What her grandmother did to her is completely inhumane and unacceptable, even for someone as hardened as me. So, instead of arresting her for wanting her human right of freedom, be useful and arrest the people who really need to be in prison."

Both JC and JP's jaws drop to the ground at the sound of Silver defending me. Actually, my jaw dropped a little bit, too.

JP regains control over her jaw, and replies back to Silver, sharply, "People like you?"

Silver shrugs, and says, "If you want to try and arrest me, go ahead. But I'm not responsible for any injuries I cause in the process."

JP grits her teeth. "You do realize that I'm trying to help you and Calypso avoid getting arrested, right? You have some nerve talking to me like that when I could be the difference between you staying free, or going to prison."

Silver looks her straight in the eye, and responds, "Look, I am perfectly able to avoid the police on my own. Calypso and JC just thought that you, having done criminal acts yourself, would be sympathetic to our plights, and would want to help us out of the good of your heart. I guess they were wrong."

JP instantly flushes red. She looks down at the ground before slowly turning her head back up, but avoiding eye contact with any of us.

"I'll help you", she murmurs quietly, "because I realize what blind rage can do. With my low rank, I don't know if I can make the charges go away by myself, but I can try talking to my superior officer about you guys. I'll tell her about Calypso's family history, and that might gain you sympathy. But I'll need some explanation for the Pokémon theft."

"Well, I took Dusk because—" I start to explain before JP swiftly cuts me off.

"Oh no, not you", she exclaims, "I already know the entire situation with you, Dusk, and Monica. I'm the one she filed the theft report with. I fully believe that Monica was abusing Dusk, even if it probably wasn't physical abuse. Verbal abuse is still abuse, and we can have Dusk testify if it goes into court. No, I was talking about you." She ends, turning towards Silver.

Silver shrugs casually again, as if the theft charges mean nothing to him.

JP sweat drops a little. I can tell she's getting a little irritated by Silver's lack of concern. When she speaks, her voice is slightly shaky from anger.

"For the last time, I am trying to help you. I don't know if you understand my predicament, but there is a possibility that I could get fired for this. I am over stretching my authority in order to try and save your ass. So if you don't give me some sort of logical reasoning as to why you stole Professor Elm's Totodile, then I can't do anything for you."

Silver looks ready to blow up on her, but he grits his teeth to cool off. After finally being able to speak without yelling, Silver replies, in a steady tone,

"Look, I appreciate what you're trying to do for me. However, I, as an individual, do not need your help, nor do I want it. Put all of your energy into saving Calypso's ass, because she probably needs it more than I do. I have my own ways of avoiding arrest, and I can say confidently that they are effective, because I've had to use them for nine years in order to survive. Thank you for offering."

JP is still stunned by his lack of wanting help, but she just shrugs.

"Okay", JP says nonchalantly, "I won't arrest you this time, and I'll leave this Pokémon Center without telling anyone what transpired here. But if I happen to spot you while I'm with any other officers, I have no choice but to try and arrest you."

"That's fine." Silver replies.

And with that, JP gazes at all of us, and I realize that this is a totally different person than the Officer Jenny that we heard of not even four hours ago. JP seems more mature, like you would expect an Officer Jenny to be. I smile at her beautiful transformation.

"I'm going to Violet City to talk to my superior officer. Calypso, stay out of trouble, and keep away from the police until I tell you that you're in the clear. Here's my personal Poké Gear number. I'll call you", JP says as we register our numbers. She then turns to Silver.

"And as for you, the same thing I told Calypso. I don't know if I'll be able to ignore you if you come within my eyesight again."

Silver almost lets a smile fly, but he quickly suppresses it. "Duly noted."

"Good."

Silver, JC, and I then proceed to escort JP to the lobby, where she waves before walking outside, hopping on her bike, and zooming off.


	11. Nightmares and Apologies

After JP leaves, JC looks to Silver and I with an expression that says, 'This has changed things quite a bit, hasn't it?'

I silently agree with her. I can't believe I just spilled my guts out to these people, especially Silver. He, of all people, didn't need to know my business or my life story. I can't believe I let myself become that vulnerable, that open. Before I started this entire journey, I did nothing but seal myself away in a protective shell in order to survive. Or, at least, keep my sanity intact. I haven't felt such a close connection with anyone since my parents were alive. It feels strange, and I'm not sure if I like it or not.

JC sighs, and takes a look at her watch.

"It's 1:00 in the morning. I'm exhausted, and I bet you two are even more tired than I am. I'm having Chansey take over for the night, so I can get some sleep. You two. Get to bed. Calypso, your old room is open. Silver, you know where your room is. Oh, and, Calypso? I finally found that damn incubator for your Egg. While we were talking in my quarters, I took the Egg out of your bag, put it inside the incubator, and put the entire thing back inside your bag. So, you're all set for Egg hatching!" JC says tiredly, but perks up at the end at the mention of the Pokémon Egg.

I reach into my bag, where I do indeed find the incubated Egg. I smile, the prospect of a baby Pokémon causing a warm feeling to rise up in me.

"Thanks!" I say gratefully.

She just smiles warmly back at me, before breaking out in a full grin.

"Shoo, you two", she commands playfully, "Go get some sleep. Arceus knows you need it."

Silver promptly walks to his room without a word to JC or I. I wait to hear Silver's door open and close before pulling JC behind the counter in the lobby. Not daring to make eye contact with her, I murmur softly to her,

"Listen, I can't thank you enough for what you did for me tonight. Even though you didn't know the full circumstances of my situation, you still decided to help me…"

JC's rose eyes widen slightly at my soft and humble tone. Breaking out into a warm smile, she shakes her head slowly, and replies,

"It's nothing. You've done just as much for me. It was the least that I could do."

I tut in disbelief before I gently grab her by her shoulders to make her stare me in the eyes. She seems startled at this sudden contact, but does nothing to try to escape my hold on her. I groan, out of both exhaustion and slight irritation.

"You don't get it, do you," I start in a much steadier voice than before, "You really don't understand how much this means to me. It is because of you that I'm standing here instead of inside a prison cell, at this very moment. In those few minutes that JP first came around here, you held my fate in your hands. You were the decision as to whether I was arrested, or I stayed free. And you made the choice to allow me my freedom. The one thing I've always wanted, longed for, even. Without you, I'd be surrounded by cold steel. I just want you to realize that, and realize that if you ever need anything, don't hesitate to call me. As cheesy as it sounds, I am forever in debt to you."

Throughout the whole appreciation speech, JC's face has steadily gone from pale ivory to the color of a cherry. She goes to answer me, but for a few seconds, she can't utter anything without stuttering.

She finally gets a grip on herself, and states, still somewhat stammering,

"I g-guess I never thought about it that way. Well, I mean, I knew once I saw the wanted poster, but not from that perspective. Umm, you're welcome. Yeah, if I ever need anything, I'll tell you."

I nod, relieved that she finally gets what I'm saying.

JC grins brightly, and before I know what's happening, she's swiftly turned my body around, and is in the process of pushing me towards the hallway to the inn rooms.

"Now, shoo," she declares again playfully, though there's more force to it this time, "It's 1:10, and you need to get some sleep, because I'm waking both you and Silver at the butt-crack of dawn tomorrow."

My eyes widen in horror, and I rotate in place to face her. "Dawn? But… dawn is at like, 7 or 8! You're insane!"

She puts her hands on her hips, and glares at me, with what I can guess is almost a motherly glower.

"Hey, JP isn't the only officer who comes into this Pokémon Center, you know. Actually, now that JP won't be harassing me anymore—hopefully—Jenny Anne will probably be making more stops here more often. Police officers always check in on me every day at 9 in the morning, so you two need to be out of here by, at the latest, 8:30. So, I suggest you skedaddle off to bed, Sassy Miss!"

"Well, I can't argue with that logic." I chuckle, and wave to her before walking down the hall to my room. I enter the inn room, and as I commence my bedtime rituals, I smile at the fact that not only I am free, but also I have a friend to share that freedom with.

I gasp for air as I suddenly skyrocket into a sitting position on the bed. Pulling my knees into my chest tightly, I breathe heavily and deeply, the night terror having robbed me of breath for what was probably only a second or two, but felt like an hour. Vivid images of the nightmare float in my mind like lily pads floating in a pond.

This isn't the first time I've had night terrors, and it probably won't be the last. And because of that, I have a journal that's dedicated to writing down every single detail of every single dream that I can remember. Actually, I have about five journals worth of dreams and memories already written down starting from age 12 and on. I've recently just started on my sixth.

It takes a few minutes for me to calm down, but when I'm finally able to think clearly again, I hastily scramble out of bed, and grab my gigantic backpack, so I can write the nightmare down before I forget it. My journals have a special pocket reserved just for them in the front, where they're the most accessible. I almost rip the zipper off trying to open the pocket, but luckily, it stays intact. Pulling out my most recent journal, I begin to write…

I wake up in a disturbingly familiar place. I'm lying on carpet of coarse navy blue fibers. Lavender walls of plaster surround me, and that's when I take a hard, long stare at my location. The lack of windows promotes suffocation. A gigantic, and obviously new plasma screen television hangs over the fireplace, and somehow, I can feel that it is forbidden to even touch it. A couch and a few armchairs of all shades of brown lounge lazily in the room. While they may look fluffy, and perhaps cozy to most, I know they are just waiting to suck me in like quicksand. The only thing in the room that gives me any sort of comfort is the packed bookshelf in the corner. I go to pull a book off the shelf, when I suddenly hear a sound that makes my blood run cold.

Any kind of security I had before is quickly shattered into itty-bitty little pieces as I hear the noise coming from a place outside of this room.

Sobbing.

Not soft, gentle weeping, but horrible, heart-wrenching sobbing, full of despair and grief. And it scares me more than anything else in the world. It scares me because I know what comes after the sobbing. What always comes after the sobbing.

The muttering. The cursing. The jumping to incorrect conclusions. The accusations and the undeserved incrimination. The need for a scapegoat.

And I'm that scapegoat.

All of the problems in the world are my fault. I'm the reason that evil groups like Team Rocket exist. I'm the reason that innocent people are murdered. I'm the reason for Pokémon who are bloodthirsty killers. I'm the reason for everything evil.

I'm the scapegoat.

It's the alcohol that makes it this way.

But it's still all my fault. Because I'm still the scapegoat. I'm always the scapegoat.

I can hear it now, muttering all of its grievances in a low voice that sounds ready to break. It becomes louder with each problem it recites, and it's not long before it escalates to yelling curses at the top of its lungs. I'm not even in the same room as it, and I'm already shaking like a leaf.

Of course, it doesn't have the mental capacity to deal with its problems without hard liquor. It hides behind it, as if it'll protect it from the true reality. But it doesn't. It won't. And that angers it. So, what does it take its anger out on?

Me, of course. I'm the scapegoat.

I stop writing, knowing what comes next, but not wanting to confirm it by making a physical record. I'd rather pretend it never happened. It isn't a topic you just bring up at brunch.

I use my journals to absorb the things I'd rather not have to remember. And this is one of them.

*JC's POV*

A loud thumping causes me to jolt awake. I sit up, rubbing my throbbing knee, which just impacted with the wall in response to the noise. I hear the thumping noise again, prompting me to go and investigate. Without thinking, I put my nursing apron on, just in case someone needs medical treatment. I also grab the Poké Ball of my Growlithe, Gruff, just in case of a burglar.

To my surprise, the thumping's origin seems to be somewhere in the inn rooms. Crossing quietly through the lobby, I see nothing suspicious. Chansey waves amicably at me from behind the counter, where she sleeps, and smiles lazily when I reflect the same gesture.

The thumping leads to Calypso's inn room. Wondering what could be making that noise, I open the door inaudibly, and slowly walk inside the room. Once I'm all the way inside, I shut the door, but to my horror, it emits a high-pitched creek before it closes. I shift my gaze to Calypso, but thankfully, the noise doesn't wake her up.

Speaking of Calypso, she is tossing and turning in an almost violent manner, while her comforter and nearly all of her pillows have been shoved or knocked off of the bed. Once I see her head collide with the headboard, I realize where the sound is coming from. I can't imagine how much that must hurt.

I walk up to the bed, but hastily step back as Calypso's bare foot nearly kicks me in the stomach. From the rampant way she is moving around, sweating like a Swinub on Mt. Chimney, and the expression of pure fear on her face, I'd say she's having a nightmare.

"Calypso!" I say her name audibly, but not too loudly since it's 4 in the morning, and other people are trying to sleep. At the statement of her name, Calypso opens her eyes, and jolts up forcefully. Though her amethyst eyes are open, I can tell that she is still asleep, trapped in her nightmare.

"MOMMY!" She shrieks in a shrill and childish, yet crystal clear voice. In any other context, the word use might have been comical, or even witty. But here, in the middle of the night, and the middle of a nightmare, it is nothing but disturbing. Then, as quickly as she sat up, Calypso's eyes roll into the back of her head, and she falls back onto the bed.

I am too startled by this whole experience to even move at the moment. I unconsciously listen for the sound of her breathing, and am relieved when I hear deep, heavy breaths coming from her.

Suddenly, the door opens, and a Chansey waddles in, an expression of worry on her pale pink face.

'What's going on', the Chansey asks me, 'I heard screaming. Is our guest all right?'

"Yeah," I nod to her, "She was just having a nightmare."

Then, to make sure Calypso is okay, I lay my hand on her forehead to check whether she has a fever or not. To my surprise, she is quite warm, and I ask Chansey to get me a damp washcloth to help cool her down.

While Chansey goes to grab the washcloth, I take a look at the thermostat. 75 degrees Fahrenheit (around 24 degrees Celsius)! No wonder the poor girl is sweating! I switch the temperature from 75 (24) to 69 (20.5) degrees. Thankfully, the fans in the inn rooms are quite powerful, and cool air starts pouring into the room.

I carefully position Calypso's body so she is lying comfortably on the bed, and to prevent her from becoming cold, I cover her with a very light sheet. I can't help but snicker when she snuggles into her pillow, and a light smile materializes on her face.

Chansey comes back with the washcloth, and I cover Calypso's forehead with it. I can tell that it's working when Calypso sighs contentedly, and then proceeds to start snoring.

"Thank Arceus that she's all right," I mutter.

Chansey gazes at me with an expression of curiosity. "Do you have any idea what the poor child would be having a nightmare about?"

"Well, she didn't have the best childhood, Chansey. Her parents died when she was four, and she was taken away from her guardian by her grandmother shortly after. And from what I've heard, she hates her grandmother with a passion. So I bet any one of those could be the root cause."

Chansey narrows her eyes in thought. "Do you think there could be any chance of abuse by the grandmother?"

I shift my hands to my hips, and silently go over every detail Calypso mentioned about her grandmother. "Nothing that Calypso said directly, but from the way she described the woman, it wouldn't surprise me if she physically disciplined Calypso."

"You should ask her about it tomorrow."

I shake my head no at the suggestion. "No, Calypso already has enough to deal with regarding her grandmother. If she were abused, bringing up the memories of it probably wouldn't help at all. You've already seen how angry at the world she is. I can almost bet that her frame of mind is very unstable, and I don't want to shatter the stability she does have."

Chansey sighs before shrugging at me, and leaving the room. Seeing as Calypso seems stable enough, I follow suit, and go to my quarters to reclaim some much-needed shuteye.

*Calypso's POV*

I groan as the sound of the alarm clock ringing infiltrates my good dream, and forces me to wake up. I angrily shove the clock off the nightstand, cancelling out the noise, but probably breaking it in the process. Hey, what can I say? That damn clock ruined the first good dream I've had in months. The contents of my good dream? A secret.

I grudgingly get up, get dressed, etc. As I walk out to the lobby, I catch sight of JC's face, and everything that happened last night rushes to my mind in a flash. I grit my teeth at the memories, not wanting to have to discuss them again.

JC holds my gaze, and I notice that while she is smiling, her smile is strained, and worry is entrapped within her rose eyes. I quickly break the eye contact. She's probably worrying about having a criminal in her establishment, and is strained by the pressure of trying to protect me. In that second, I hastily make the decision to cut her out of my life. It's for her own good.

Thankfully, JC is alone in the lobby, and since no one sane is up at this time, I'm not worried about anyone coming in.

I approach her at the counter, where she shares a sunny grin with me. I can tell she's faking it. She's worried underneath the fake grin.

When I don't smile back, her grin falters, and she glances at me curiously. She lowers her gaze, and says in a quiet voice,

"Silver already left. I checked his room around ten minutes ago, and it is completely deserted. He's one smart kid."

I only nod, the depression of what I know I must say next effectively preventing me from replying to her statement.

She tilts her head to stare at me incredulously, obviously thinking that anything to do with Silver would make me reply immediately. She'd normally be right. Baffled by my silence, she says, in almost a whisper,

"What's wrong?"

I sigh sadly, and speaking to her for the first time this morning, I respond,

"I have things I need to say, and I'm not looking forward to saying them."

She smiles a small smile, and my Grinch sized heart almost breaks at the fact that I have to say what I have to say.

"I'm sure these words you need to say aren't that bad," she drawls soothingly, "So why don't you just get it over with, and say them?"

Sighing sadly once again, our eyes lock together before I nod slowly. In a deep tone, I mutter to her,

"Look, I'm sorry for not telling you all about this before, and laying all of it on you and JP last night. My whole family situation just isn't something I like to talk about, especially since my social skills aren't the most refined. And the whole thing with the Grand Larceny and Destruction of Property… I'll admit, I'm not sorry for what I did that night. I did what I had to do to gain my freedom, one way or another. And while being locked up in a house doesn't seem like a life or death situation, it was for me. If I would have stayed for much longer, Gran and I probably would have ended up killing each other."

JC gives me a little eyebrow twitch, as if to say, "Now you're over-exaggerating."

When my serious expression doesn't falter after a few seconds, JC's rose eyes widen. I sigh breathily.

"What's sad", I go onto whisper, "is that you think I'm joking. What's even sadder is that I have to tell you I'm not. What happened in that house that night was me releasing all of my anger out towards her, and the world. I've never really been able to just release my emotions like that. I've always had to keep them under wraps. Honestly, I'm just grateful that she wasn't there to witness it. There could have been even worse consequences if she had been…"

I pause to sigh again, and then I stare JC full in the face.

"I completely understand if you want to break all ties with me. I'm a wanted criminal; you're a nurse. It could hurt your career if people found out that you were ever associated with me. It might be beneficial if we weren't friends anymore…"

A sharp slapping noise echoes throughout the lobby as a stinging starts developing on my cheek. Damn, JC has a nice bitchslap.

"Calypso Aspen Primrose! How dare you! How many times do I have to tell you that you are my friend, and nothing will change that? Sure, last night surprised me a little bit, but I'm not giving up on you! Besides, JP is up in Violet City, in this moment, risking her badge for your benefit! I am risking my license here for your benefit! We are fully involved for you, and we refuse to let you push us away, 'for our benefit.' Do you get that, Calypso?!"

I hastily shake my head yes, not only not wanting another slap, but in awe at her concern for me. It's been forever since anyone has bothered to care about me like that. Not since…

A single tear runs down my face, causing JC to pause her rage, and stare at me in astonishment. The first tear is shortly followed by more, and I start to sob silently. Very unlike the creature in my dreams, with its shrieking sobs. And for once, I cry neither of sadness nor fear; I cry of joy.

She rushes from behind the counter to hold me securely in her arms. She does not shush me, as Gran always did when I would cry. She knows that for once, I need to get my emotions out, or they will bubble inside me as they always have. Her hold on me is not choking like Gran, either, but rather, providing support where it's needed. Her comfort reminds me more of my mother, who used to hold me the same exact way.

"You are going to be a great mother," I whisper to JC after a few more seconds of tears. She only lets out a shaky laugh, while she starts rubbing my back soothingly. I soon calm down.

"I'm sorry," I say as soon as her arms release me, "It's just that—"

"It's okay," she responds quietly, "You don't need to explain yourself to me this time. You are always welcome to release your emotions when you're with me. No explanation required."

I giggle and sniffle at the same time. "No, it's okay, I want you to hear this. It's just that you remind me of my mother. The way you hold me, the way you don't shush me when I cry, and the way you care for me. I got so emotional because no one has bothered to care for me like she did besides you. Thank you."

Her rose eyes widen, but soon narrow to normal. She grins largely, and wraps me up in a full hug. This is quite hard for her to do, seeing as I have about five inches on her. I embrace her back, before grabbing her by the waist, and swinging her around a few times. She giggles gleefully before I set her back on the floor.

My eyes just happen to catch the clock. It's 8:15.

I point at the clock. "Shit, I guess I need to go."

JC glances at the clock, and frantically nods her head. "No kidding. Here's breakfast," she says as she hastily hands me a granola bar, "Now out you go!"

She practically shoves me out of the Pokémon Center. I don't stick around to have the last word, as I can hear the engine of a large motorbike. The Officers are out early this morning. Fuck.

Cyndi suddenly pops out of her Poké Ball, effectively startling me.

"Whoa, Cyndi, give me some warning next time! You scared the shit out of me! We're lucky I didn't scream, or we could've had the coppers on us in minutes!"

Cyndi only raises an eyebrow. After a few seconds, she adds a sigh, too. I shift my hands to my hips in defense.

"Hey, don't look at me like that! Besides, our next destination is Union Cave, which is all dark, wet, and cold. Aka, not a good place for you to train. Dusk is the one who needs the most training anyways. What levels are you guys at now? Let me check…"

I pull out the Pokédex, which flashes a red light when I turn it out. I quickly check the levels, moves, and stats of all four Pokémon.

"Let's see… Cyndi, you're at level eighteen… your moves are Tackle, Smokescreen, Ember, and Quick Attack. Spirit is level sixteen… her moves are Faint Attack, Wing Attack, Pursuit, and Peck. Both Dusk and Forest are at level thirteen… Dusk's moves are Psywave, Astonish, Spite, and Growl. Forest's moves are Vine Whip, Growth, Wrap, and Sleep Powder. Not bad, you guys…"

I become immersed in the Pokédex, so Cyndi whistles to get me out of my funk. I glance at her.

"Thanks. Anyways, I'm gonna train Dusk in Union Cave because her natural environment is in caves, and she and Forest need the most training. I mean, you can walk along with us if you want, but if you get wet, it's not my fault."

Cyndi appears to think about this for a moment, before approaching me. To my surprise, she reaches up, and taps her Poké Ball on my belt.

"I'll take that as a no," I say as Cyndi returns herself to her Poké Ball.

I then let Dusk out of her Poké Ball. She seems to be delighted at the prospect of more training. So, we start heading over to the entrance of Union Cave, where Dusk and I pummel Bird Keeper Peter, and to my surprise, there is a slightly shattered boulder standing in the way of what looks to be a valuable item. That reminds me…

"Dammit, I forgot to ask about Rock Smash."


	12. Trading and Growing

The team and I backtrack up to Route 36, where I talk to the guy in the middle of the route. I was going to pull out some cash, and offer it to him in exchange for the HM06 Rock Smash. To my surprise, when I pulled out my wallet, he spots my Zephyr Badge!

"I know that I can trust any trainer that can beat Faulkner with the HM06!" He chuckles. Dusk and I thank him before heading back down towards Route 32 and Union Cave. But before I go through the pass back to Violet City, Dusk makes a suggestion.

"Hey, why don't we go through the Ruins of Alph before we go through Union Cave? I don't know if you've been listening to any conversations from the tourists nearby, but apparently, there is a rare species of Pokémon that comes in different forms, and has psychic powers! We should totally check it out!"

"Hey, that doesn't sound like a bad idea. We can check out some of the caves for the rare Pokémon, and then we'll head down to Union Cave. Besides, if the rare Pokémon are psychic, then you'll have no problem taking down a bunch of them at once! Imagine the experience points!"

After checking the time, and having a quick bite to eat (Dusk scared a little kid by the suspicious tree on Route 36), we start heading south to the Ruins of Alph.

Dusk and I enter the Ruins of Alph, and we immediately head towards the northeastern chamber. As we enter the chamber, Dusk and I get an eerie feeling of multiple eyes being locked on us. The feeling is unsettling, but not threatening, so Dusk and I continue on farther into the chamber.

First we spot the slide puzzle, and we go to try that, but then Dusk spots an inscription on the wall behind the puzzle. I hear my footsteps click against the stone floor of the chamber, and that's when I realize that the entire chamber is silent except for the quiet noises that I am causing. As we take steps towards the inscription, I start to hear a dull ringing noise as we get closer to the back wall.

"ESCAPE", The inscription reads. The first thing that comes to my mind is an escape rope. Out of instinct, I start pulling one out of my bag. All of a sudden, the wall starts to collapse. I shriek in shock, especially since a few of the stones are falling towards me. I step back so my feet aren't crushed. I look over at Dusk, who looks over to me in a, "What the fuck just happened", way.

"I guess the wall knew what I was thinking. Or vice versa. Either way, it's kinda creepy." I mutter as Dusk and I slowly tread carefully into the adjacent chamber. To our astonishment, we find both a Heal Powder and an Energy Powder, along with an Oran Berry and a Pecha Berry. I'm feeling grateful for the healing items because I've been a broke ass bitch ever since I bought all that food in Violet City.

Dusk and I move to the main part of the chamber again, and we approach the slide puzzle. The ringing that I heard earlier becomes more pronounced near the slide puzzle. Despite how strange the entire situation is, I feel drawn to the slide puzzle, like I was meant to be here, and experience this situation.

My hands automatically reach for the stone titles, and I start shifting them around. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Dusk giving the left side of the chamber apprehensive glances, as if she's spotted something odd.

"What's going on over there", I murmur in Dusk's direction, though my eyes are still focused on the slide puzzle. As I move more tiles, I start to see a form start to appear. It's when I think I have one more pair of tiles to switch around that Dusk abruptly screeches in fright. I glance in her direction, only to see a small, black figure quickly disappear into the adjacent wall.

"What the fuck did I just see!", I bellow.

"Maybe it's the rare Pokémon!" Dusk squeals into my ear. I jump a little bit, not realizing that she was so close to me. A little shaken from what I just witnessed, I sigh, and exclaim,

"You know, if these things have the power to go through solid stone walls, maybe we shouldn't be messing with them too much."

Dusk shakes her head in an expression of exasperation. "Now you're just being a scaredy-Meowth! Come on, that thing is gone! Finish the slide puzzle so we can get out of here, and go explore the other caves!"

I raise my eyebrow slightly at her sassy tone, but none the less, I slide the last two tiles into place. The image of a Kabuto lights up the stone tiles. The ringing sound unexpectedly reappears very loudly, and without any warning, the floor underneath me collapses! I land painfully on the stone floor below. Dusk floats through the ceiling to where I've fallen.

"Calypso, are you okay? That was one Distortion World of a fall!"

It takes me a second or two, but I manage to stand up. Dusk's concern turns into relief after I give her the signal that I'm all right. As far as I can tell, I sustained no serious injuries. I have a few bleeding scratches on my legs that I take some time to bandage up before Dusk and I start wandering the underground hallway I fell into.

"These hallways are long as hell, Dusk. Do you think we're making any progress?"

We've been walking for about five minutes, and we've gone through several hallways. No sign of any exit, or of any Pokémon at all. Just the eerie noise of booming footsteps in what would otherwise be a silent hallway.

"There's got to be more to this place than just stone!" Dusk expresses exasperatedly again, feeling unsatisfied at our lack of progress. I go to reply, when the ringing resumes. Dusk and I look behind us to the source of the ringing, only to see another black figure staring back at us. I go to pull out my Pokédex, because I can tell that this thing is a Pokémon.

"Unown, the Symbol Pokémon. Their shapes look like hieroglyphics on ancient tablets. It is said that the two are somehow related."

Remembering the inscription of 'ESCAPE' on the chamber wall, I recognize the Pokémon as being the same shape as one of the letters of the inscription. It's shaped like an "A", but with an eyeball in the middle. I wasn't kidding when I said that it was staring at us.

The Unown's eye instantaneously narrows, and it envelops itself in a circle of white orbs. It then proceeds to hurl them at us in a light based attack. Dusk and I dodge it.

"Unown can use Hidden Power to powerful effect. It's type and power varies on the Pokémon."

"Dusk, use Astonish!"

Dusk screams while attacking the Unown, who faints in response to being hit with an super-effective Ghost type move.

"Well, I'd say we just dodged quite a few bullets", I sputter to Dusk in shock.

"Yeah, it's kinda terrifying that we don't ever know the type of attack it has before it attacks. But that's not as terrifying as me, thankfully."

I snicker at Dusk's response. We continue to walk further through the hallways. After minutes more minutes without running into another Pokémon, Dusk and I start to see light come into view in some nearby hallways. We start to head over there, when I hear the ringing again. Dusk and I look to our left, and see another Unown! Shaped like a "C"!

"It's C shaped, Dusk. You know we have to catch it."

Dusk peers at it for a second, and then gives me an approving nod.

"Dusk, use Psywave!"

Dusk unleashes a psychic energy wave of epic proportions, and though it's a powerful wave, the not effective matchup causes the Unown's HP to go down to half. I take my chance, and throw a Poké Ball at it. The ball shakes slowly, once… twice, and… caught!

I make eye contact with Dusk, and say in amazement, "We caught an Unown!"

"What are you going to name…it? I wonder if Unown have two genders?"

"Unown is a genderless Pokémon."

"Well, I guess that answers your question. I think I'll name it Cece. Because it's C shaped!"

Dusk rolls her eyes. "Oh, very original. Very original indeed."

It takes us fifteen more minutes until we finally find the exit of the underground tunnels. Once we get outside of the cave into the sunlight, I let Cece out of their Poké Ball, and I use a Potion to heal their wounds with. Cece floats next to Dusk, taking the time to talk to her despite their fight in the cave. I smirk a little at how energetic their conversation is.

All three of us go to see if we can access the other chambers, but we find that they are blocked by ledges and bodies of water. So we decide to go through the access point to Route 32 so we can head towards Union Cave. We enter the access point, and we see a few tourists hanging out. One of them, an attractive woman who could be called a "Beauty", approaches us.

"Is that an Unown?" She asks curiously.

I nod, and respond, "Yeah, I just caught it in the cave in the middle of the Ruins. I named it Cece because it's the shape of a C."

The Beauty's eyes look ready to bulge out in amazement.

"Would you be willing to trade your Unown for one of my Pokémon? I've been trying to catch a C shaped Unown all day, and I still haven't seen any! My name is Christine, by the way."

I am surprised by her request, but I'm not close minded either. I think about her proposal for a few seconds before looking at Cece.

"Do you want to go with Christine? She seems to like you a lot. It's up to you." I tell Cece.

Cece looks between me and Christine, and floats over towards Christine. I'm not surprised, but I'm happy that a trainer and a Pokémon could connect so instantly.

"What did you want to trade me in return?" I question in curiosity. Christine takes a Poké Ball from her hip, and opens it. An orange colored water seal Pokémon erupts from the ball, and looks up at me with interest.

"Buizel, the Sea Weasel Pokémon. It inflates its flotation sac, keeping its face above the water in order to watch for prey movement."

"I caught Zellie when I was vacationing in Sinnoh. I was a Trainer in the Cerulean Gym, so I've caught many Water Type Pokémon. However, I'm transferring Gyms into the Saffron Gym because I want to change my specialty, and try to train the Psychic type. I am near the Ruins of Alph, so why not try to catch an Unown? Besides, Zellie and I have very differing strategies when it comes to Pokémon battles. She's more aggressive in her approach, while I prefer to ease into my battles. I felt as if she needs a more assertive trainer to really bring out her true potential."

I glance at Zellie, her eyes filling with excitement as we make eye contact. I look back over to Christine, and nod, "Yeah, I get what you mean. You've got a deal."

Christine and I setup the necessities for trading. It took a few seconds, but in those few seconds, I gained a Buizel!

"Come here, Zellie!", I exclaim. Zellie jumps into my arms, and embraces me, while Cece and Christine bond.

"Well, thank you for trading! We'll see you around sometime!" I say to Christine. Christine and I make sure to exchange numbers before my team and I head out for Union Cave.

I let Zellie walk by my side while Dusk floats on my other side. The three of us make it through Route 32 while fighting numerous wild Pokémon.

"Dusk grew to Level 14. Dusk can learn the move Confuse Ray. Do you want to get rid of a move to replace with Confuse Ray?"

I glance over at Dusk, who has just finished off a wild Ekans with her Psywave attack. She looks startled, but replies,

"Yeah, I want to replace Growl with Confuse Ray."

"Dusk forgot Growl, and Dusk learned Confuse Ray!"

"Sweet, way to go, Dusk!", I say proudly. She looks back at me with glee.

Zellie spots a nearby Zubat, and shoots a SonicBoom at it. The Zubat dodges it by inches. It tries to drain Zellie's HP with its Leech Life, but Zellie distracts it with her Water Sport.

"Zellie, use SonicBoom again!", I yell out to her. It hits dead on this time, and the Zubat faints. Zellie cheers in response.

"Zellie grew to level 6. Zellie can learn the move Water Gun. Do you want to get rid of a move to replace with Water Gun?"

"Yeah, I'll do what Dusk did and forget Growl." Zellie squeals back to the Pokédex.

"Zellie forgot Growl, and Zellie learned Water Gun!"

Zellie proceeds to celebrate learning a new move by promptly shooting a Water Gun into a nearby Mareep's face.

"Well, you certainly know how to pick your battles, don't you?" I remark in amusement at Zellie's fighting spirit. Zellie smirks back at me before dodging the Mareep's incoming Thunder Wave.

The team and I finally make it to the entrance of Union Cave. I take the time to go in the Pokémon Center, and heal my team, before heading outside again. I notice the sun starting to set. I look over to Dusk and Zellie.

"How are you guys feeling? Are you up for going into the cave, or did you want to camp out for the night?"

"Well, I'm fine, but I can't really say the same for her." Dusk says as she glances over towards Zellie who can't seem to control her yawns.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, just give me a second to—", Zellie starts before slightly nodding off.

"Well, I'd say that means you're done for the night", I mutter to Zellie before I return her to her Poké Ball to rest.

"I still have a shit-ton of energy left", I murmur as I glimpse over at Dusk, "and I think it's because I drank one of those new energy drinks that came out recently. I think it was called, 'Electa-Buzz Me!'"

Dusk rolls her eyes. "I'm betting that you definitely had more than just one."

One of my eyebrows twitches in reply. "Maybe I did, and maybe I didn't. You can't prove anything."

"You know that stuff is basically liquid cocaine, and you're probably going to die sooner if you keep drinking it."

"Yep", I retort, not really caring about the long-term consequences. Dusk and I continue into Union Cave.

Dusk and I fight our way through Union Cave, besting quite a few trainers along the way. There was a Fire Breather named Ray who had an adorable Vulpix! Zellie was too tired to fight, so Dusk took out the Vulpix with a few Psywaves.

I let Forest out so he could wrap himself around a few Geodudes and an Onix belonging to a couple of Hikers.

Cyndi roasted the other "Fire Breather", who just had two Koffings, while Dusk spooked the Slowpoke of a Poké Maniac into unconsciousness.

Dusk and I finally see light at the end of the tunnel... Literally! We've spent around a million fucking hours trying to navigate through this cave, and now we've finally found the exit. Hallelujah!

However, when we finally walk out of Union Cave, we find that the sky is dark and gloomy, and rain is starting to fall down to earth in a torrential downpour. Knowing that Dusk isn't particularly fond of floating in rain, I recall her, only for Forest to pop out of his Poké Ball instead.

"You know how hard it's raining, right? Why would you want to be out here?" I ask him.

'Hey, I'm a Grass Pokémon, remember? I love water. I really love rain, especially since Azalea Town is known to be one of the warmer towns in Johto, and I LOVE warm water. It's like taking a bath.'

I shrug at this explanation, but I can't help but agree with him about the warm rain. It's kind of like a shower, but not as hot.

'I know what you're thinking. Just because I said it feels like taking a bath doesn't mean that you should strip down, and bathe yourself right here. There are other people on this route, and there are showers at the Pokémon Center.'

"Psssh," I say obnoxiously, "I'm not going to strip down in the middle of a public road, no matter how warm the rain is. Gosh, like, how could you ever think I would do something like that," I end with an exaggerated Valley Girl accent.

'Sure,' replies Forest sarcastically, but I can hear a hint of a snicker underneath the heavy layer of sarcasm.

So Forest and I, despite the rain, stroll through Route 33 casually, plucking the pink and black apricorns off of their respective trees. Sure, Forest and I get soaked to the core—I'm so glad I'm wearing a dark t-shirt—but we don't mind the rain. Just like he said—it's like a shower.

We walk until we are stopped by a Hiker, who also happens to be enjoying the warm rain. He calls out to Forest and I, so we have no choice but to approach him.

"Hey, chica. You sure seem to be enjoying the rain. Your Bellsprout looks like he's enjoying it too."

I quirk my brow up in surprise. "Nice observance. What point are you trying to make here?"

His brow also rise, and he grins at me. "Hey, I'm just saying that it looks like you and your Pokémon are having fun in the rain. You see, my two Pokémon also like the rain, but one of them is a Rock type, so he can't stay out in the rain for more than two minutes at a time."

"That's sad," I reply.

"Yeah", continues he, "My Geodude was really looking forward to a battle, too, but he can't in the rain. However, I heard that the rain stops once you get to Azalea Town. Are you heading over that way?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna need a room for the night. Why?"

He shrugs. "Well, I was just looking for a battle in Azalea Town."

I think about this for a second before replying, "Sure, Mister Mountain Man, if you want a battle, I'll give you a battle. But most of my Pokémon are exhausted, so I have to heal them first. Deal?"

"The name's Anthony, and sure little lady, I'll agree to those terms. Did you want to walk together to the Pokémon Center so we can heal?" Anthony asks me.

"Sure", I reply, and we start walking towards Azalea Town. The rain steadily starts to decline, and soon the bright sunshine of Azalea Town appears.

When we come upon Slowpoke Well, I see something that stops me in my tracks. My blood turns ice cold at the sight of a Team Rocket member guarding the entrance. The happiness granted by the sunshine suddenly evaporates. My face turns into stone.

Anthony glances at me, apprehension apparent in his expression.

"Are you all right, chica? What's the death glare for?"

I sigh and respond, "Let's just say that Team Rocket has done some horrible stuff to my family in the past."

"I'm sorry that happened to you and your family. But I can see the murder in your eyes. Don't do anything that you'd regret, chica."

I scoff at his pet names. "I've already done plenty of things that I regret."

"But it looks like he wants trouble, Anthony", I continue on, while making eye contact with the lone Grunt, "so I say we give it to him."


	13. Rocket Adventures and The Talk

*Calypso's POV*

"I'm coming to kick your ass, Team Rocket!" I announce as I advance towards the Grunt, who replies,

"Try it, teenaged twerp! You and Hiker dude aren't getting past here without winning a battle against me!"

Anthony, like most of the people I hang out with, has the sense to grab me by the back of my vest when I start getting angry. Wow, I can't believe I'm actually making people I can call friends!

"I don't think that's a good idea, chica! Your Pokémon aren't healed yet, remember?" Anthony interrupts me before I go to punch the Grunt in the face and start a fight.

"Yeah, I guess you're right, " I mutter irritatedly to Anthony, who lets go of my vest.

"Ha! Admit it! You never thought you could beat me, huh, brat?" The Grunt retorts snidely to me.

I roll my eyes at his boastful arrogance. "Nah, Rocket douche, I'm just too hungry to battle you right now. But I'm coming to kick your ass after food!"

The Grunt starts calling me all of the most ridiculous insults in the book, the most creative being, "A Munchlax Wearing a Wig and Pretending to be a Pokémon Trainer."

"You hear that, Anthony", I speak lowly as we ignore the ranting Grunt and start walking to Azalea Town, "he basically called me fat, among other things. The nerve of that guy!"

Anthony chuckles, so I nudge him lightly in the shoulder for laughing at my misfortune.

"I would agree that was rather rude. Insulting a lady like that." Anthony says after a brief moment of silence.

I shake my head while smiling, "Not exactly my point, but yeah, I'm definitely coming back to kick his ass after I go eat food."

It takes us five minutes to walk to the Pokémon Center, but when we get there, Anthony and I heal up. Being my paranoid self, I check the Pokémon Center bulletin board to check to see whether Silver or I's wanted posters are hanging around. Thankfully, there's no sign of either poster. JP is working her magic at the department well. I sigh to myself in relief.

Anthony and I have a small lunch of vending machine microwavable ramen, because, let's face it, most Pokémon Trainers are broke. We have a conversation that mostly consists of small talk. In that conversation, I learn that Anthony is 33 years old, has two-ex wives, and three children with said ex-wives. That conversation is such a mess by itself that I don't even bother to say anything about myself at that point. There's no need.

We start to leave to confront that idiotic Rocket Grunt at Slowpoke Well, but just as we're about to walk out the door, my Poké-Gear phone starts ringing. I recognize the number as JC's, so motioning my intentions to Anthony, I excuse myself to the women's bathroom for a private conversation. I walk into a stall, and answer the phone.

"Hey, JC, what's going on?" I greet her when I pick up the call.

"Hey Calypso, just wanted to check in on you since the last time we saw each other was a little shaky. How's your day going? Have you made it to Azalea Town yet?"

I twinkle slightly at her Mom Friend concern. It's nice to know I have people I can count on, especially since most of my actual family is gone.

"Yeah, things are going okay. I made it through Union Cave after battling a shit ton of Trainers, and I met a new friend outside of Union Cave! We were walking to Azalea Town to heal up our Pokémon, but then I saw a Team Rocket Grunt outside of the Slowpoke Well. That pissed me off, so I went to go to kick his ass, but my new friend stopped me! Isn't that nice of him?"

JC's voice develops a suggestive tone at the mention of my new friend's gender.

"Him, eh? What did you say his name was? And is he cute? Tell me everything, girl!"

I shake my head in disbelief at her suggestion. "JC, it's not even like that, so get your mind out of the gutter. He's a Hiker named Anthony who's in his mid thirties. He's a nice guy, but if a guy that old wants to date me, a seventeen year old, I'm running the fuck away."

JC pauses for a moment before replying, "Yeah, you make a good point. Sorry for making stupid assumptions."

"All is forgiven," I assure her, "but do you have any updates on JP working on my case?"

"Oh yeah, that's what I meant to tell you when I called! JP called me about a half hour ago to let me know that she talked to her boss, the Sergeant Officer Jenny in Violet City about your case. She convinced her that there was suspicion of domestic abuse and corrupt judicial activity in your case, so she's contacting the Sergeant Officer in Cianwood City in order to open a domestic abuse investigation on your Gran.

Because of that, they ordered to suspend your arrest warrant and that all of Johto trash the wanted posters of you until the investigation processes, so they can tell whether you were pressured into doing what you did because of abuse, like you said."

Placing my hand over the left side of my chest, I can feel my heart beating irregularly in reaction to JC's words. Will the Johto Police Department actually believe what happened to me all those years, and go after Gran for domestic abuse?

My voice cracks as I continue, "Tha-at's amazing news, JC, thank you so much! And tell JP thank you too! You guys have really helped me out and made it so I can live my live freely without having to worry about getting arrested. But one last question: Are all of the charges are dropped, including the ones Monica placed against me for theft?"

"Yeah, the Cherrygrove Police Department trashed the police report after Monica repeatedly called them and insulted them for not getting her case done with quickly. She bit herself in the foot with that one," JC replies with a laugh. I can't help but feel satisfied at Monica fucking herself up.

"Yeah, figures Monica would do something that ended up fucking the dumb bitch in the end," I drawl harshly.

"And while that is probably the best thing that has happened all day, I am also excited to hear about your Pokémon too! Has your egg hatched?" JC asks.

"Nah," I said, "But my team has grown a lot. Cyndi is at level 19, Spirit and Dusk are both at level 16, and Forest is at level 14. Oh! And I forgot to tell you! I traded an Unown for a Buizel named Zellie in the Ruins of Alph, and she grew to level 6 on our way to your Pokémon Center."

"Oh, wow! So you have five Pokemon now! Damn, only one spot left on your team to fill. That's awesome! Hey, while you're in Azalea Town, make sure to check out Kurt's house. Remember I told you he makes special Poké Balls?" She reminds me.

"Yeah, and since I've been traveling, I've collected quite a few Apricorns. I think I have two green, two pink, and two black ones."

"That's nice. Oh, hey, Calypso, I just looked at the time, and my break is over. I'll call you sometime later tonight or tomorrow morning. If you don't hear from me by the end of tomorrow, assume I'm dead or kidnapped, okay?" She ends the conversation morbidly.

"Deal! Talk to ya later!"

"Bye."

The Poké-Gear beeps as I hang up the call. Maybe it would be a good idea to go see Kurt before confronting Team Rocket. I leave the bathroom to go suggest the idea to Anthony.

*Third Person's POV*

As Calypso leaves the bathroom, she doesn't notice the strange high-pitched giggling or the phone beeping coming from the stall closest to the wall.

"I listened in on that freak's conversation the whole time, and she never even realized it, Sharon! No one calls me a dumb bitch, and gets away with it!" The lime green haired girl growls in hatred to her friend, Sharon, over the phone.

"Well, if she's such a pain in the ass, Monica, then what are you going to do about her?" Sharon replies exhaustedly.

"I've been training for this moment for way too long, Sharon", Monica snarls, "and when that freak gets to Goldenrod City, she's not going to know what hit her. Goldenrod is my hometown, and I have connections there. So she better watch the fuck out."

"Oh, I'm sure, Monica. Listen, I gotta go. The Growlithe that I'm dog-sitting for my aunt is trying to set the curtains on fire. I'll call you back later. Bye!"

"Bye." Monica grumpily hangs up the phone.

"She will pay for what she's done to me."

*Calypso's POV*

Apparently while I was busy in the bathroom with my phone call, Anthony also got a call himself. When I come out from the bathroom, the man is in tears.

"My second ex wife, Linda, wants to get back together again for the third time! So I have to start heading back towards Violet City, where we used to live together with our kids. But it was great hanging out with you, though."

I look at him quizzically. "So this is really random… all of that happened when I was in the bathroom, I guess? Did you still want a battle before you leave?"

He smiles warmly. "Of course, that's why we came here in the first place."

So Anthony and I go to the training arena on the right side of the Pokémon Center to have our battle.

Anthony sends out his Level 11 Geodude, while I send out Forest.

"Geodude, use Rock Throw!" Anthony instructs.

"Forest, dodge it and use Sleep Powder!" Forest gets hit on the shoulder with a small boulder, but he doesn't look too hurt. Forest shoots a large amount of silvery powder out of his mouth. It hits the Geodude dead on.

It doesn't take long before Forest suffocates the sleeping Geodude with a Vine Whip that knocks it out in one hit. Anthony recalls his fallen Pokémon.

"Damn, your Bellsprout is strong, chica. But you won't take out my next Pokémon so easily! Go Machop!"

Anthony's Level 11 Machop flexes its tiny muscles like it's at a tiny body building competition. I smirk. I know who is perfect to take his Machop on.

"Dusk, come on out!"

Dusk pops out of her Poké Ball, and floats over to the battlefield. She's yawning because she just woke up, but Machop interprets her yawns as her mocking him.

"Machop, use Karate Chop!"

Machop goes to injure Dusk with a powerful Karate Chop, but the Pokémon's fist goes straight through her!

Anthony's looking at Dusk and making the realization that Youngster Joey never did. His Machop can't land any hits on Dusk because fighting type moves don't affect her!

"You and Machop are in for a nasty surprise! Dusk, use Psywave!" I exclaim.

The piercing psychic sonic wave hits Machop directly. Machop loses all but a bit of HP due to it being super effective. The loud noise makes Machop a bit dizzy, so Dusk goes in for the finish.

"Psywave!" The attack hits again, and Machop is knocked out.

"Misdreavus! (I won!)" Dusk cheers happily. I cheer along with her.

"Wow, you are so strong! Here's your prize money," He says as he hands me 352.

"So I have to return to Violet City to see my wife and kids, but if she ever kicks me out again, call me! I'll be on Route 33, probably very depressed, and in need of another battle."

So Anthony and I exchange numbers and heal our Pokémon before going our separate ways.

I walk the five minute distance to Kurt's house on the left side of Azalea Town. I notice a white apricorn tree behind his house, so I pluck the apricorn off before I knock on the door.

A short old man with grey hair opens the door, and his jet black eyes zero in on me.

"Hm? Who are you?"

"I'm Calypso, and my friend told me that you can make Poké Balls out of Apricorns?"

He studies me up and down before looking back up to my face, "Calypso, eh? You sure look familiar, but I can't remember from where.

Anyway, you want me to make some balls? Sorry, but that'll have to wait. Do you know Team Rocket?"

I go to answer yes, but he completely talks over me, "Ah, don't worry, I'll tell you anyhow. Team Rocket's an evil gang that uses Pokémon for their dirty work. They're supposed to have disbanded three years ago."

A look of determination settles in Kurt's narrowed eyes.

"Anyway, they're at the Well, cutting off Slowpoke Tails for sale! So I'm gonna go give them a lesson in pain! Hang on, Slowpoke! Old Kurt is on his on his way!"

Then he dashes off towards Slowpoke Well with a speed I never would've expected from an old man. I try to power walk to keep up with him, but he quickly sprints out of sight, leaving me in the dust.

A five minute walk later, I come upon Slowpoke Well, but both the Rocket Grunt and Kurt are nowhere to be seen. I advance towards the entrance, until I feel one of my Poké Balls shaking.

"Bui!" Zellie squeals as she lets herself out of her Poké Ball. She yawns and stretches her muscles.

"Oh, so you're finally ready to train some more?" I ask her teasingly.

She rolls her eyes at the comment, but rubs her head on my leg in affection. I scratch her head a few times before we climb down the ladder into the Well.

At the bottom, I find Kurt flat on his back on the cold stone floor!

"Kurt! Are you okay?"

He opens his eyes and gazes up at me.

"Hey there, Calypso! The guard up top took off when I shouted at them."

Surprised, I remark, "Really? Cause all he did when I yelled at him was call me fat."

He pauses to stare at me with a weird expression but continues on,

"But then I took a tumble down the Well. I slammed down hard on my back, so I can't move. Rats! If I were fit, my Pokémon would've punished them… Ah, it can't be helped. Calypso, show them how gutsy you are in my place!"

"Are you sure you don't just want me to help you up? You look like you fell pretty hard." I suggest to him.

He shakes his head. "Nah, I just need a few more moments on my back before I can get up. I'll be fine. You go take care of them. They're all yours."

"Okay, if you insist," I affirm as Zellie and I carefully walk past Kurt, and into the next chamber of the Well.

I know that I have to be careful because Zellie is around the same levels as the Pokémon that live in the Well, so I'm guessing that Team Rocket's Pokémon will be a bit stronger than Zellie is used to facing.

Zellie and I climb up to the first high platform on the right. As soon as we reach the platform, a Team Rocket Grunt notices us.

"Hey, Team Rocket is here cutting off Slowpoke tails for profit! You can't be here!"

"Make me leave, Rocket douche!" I challenge.

The Grunt sends out two level 9 Rattatas that Zellie has no problem taking out with her Sonicboom + Water Gun combination.

"Zellie grew to Level 7!" The Pokédex echoes loudly in the cavern.

I congratulate Zellie on her growth while the Grunt looks astonished at his fallen Pokémon, and then back at Zellie in puzzlement. He silently hands me 360, and let's me pass.

Zellie got hurt a few times when the Rattatas used Tackle or Quick Attack, so I go ahead and heal her with a Potion.

We walk further past the first Grunt, only to have a female Rocket Grunt confront us,

"Look what we have here… A little brat of an intruder! Go Zubat!"

"Zellie, let's kick some Rocket ass!"

Zellie eagerly goes to face the Grunt's Level 9 Zubat.

"Zubat, use your Supersonic attack!"

"Zellie, cover your ears and use Sonicboom!"

She doesn't cover her ears in time, so Zubat's Supersonic confuses Zellie. As she dizzily waddles around in confusion, Zellie attempts to use her Sonicboom attack, but she hurts herself in her confusion.

"Zubat, Leech Life!"

Zubat flies towards Zellie and bites her hard, draining a fourth of her HP. It doesn't concern me too much, but I decide to switch her out so she doesn't keep stumbling around, confused.

"Zellie, return! Spirit, you take care of this!"

"Zubat, use Supersonic again!" The Grunt tries to pull off her confusion tactic again.

"Spirit, dodge it and take Zubat out with your Wing Attack!"

Spirit flies up high to avoid the Supersonic, and she swiftly dive bombs the Zubat, striking it powerfully with her wing. Due to her seven level advantage and high attack, she knocks Zubat out in one hit.

"Spirit grew to Level 17!" The Pokédex echoes again. I praise Spirit by ruffling her head feathers a few times. She chooses to perch on my shoulder instead of returning to her Poké Ball because she likes the darkness of the Well.

The female Grunt grits her teeth in frustration. "My last Pokémon is way stronger than my first!"

She throws a Poké Ball, and out comes a hissing Level 11 Ekans. My instinct is to call out either Dusk or Cyndi, but I decide that Dusk is the better choice.

"Go Dusk, use your Psywave attack!"

The sonic wave hits Ekans straight on, but the super effective attack only eats about a third of Ekans' large amount of HP. To my disappointment, the Ekans recovers quickly from the Psywave, and listens to the next command from its Trainer,

"Ekans, use Bite now!" Ekans uses its high speed to sneak up on Dusk and bite her on the back of her ghostly hair. Due to the super effectiveness, it nearly halves Dusk's HP. Dusk shrieks in pain, and uses Astonish on Ekans to get it to let go of her. The Astonish becomes a critical hit and it reduces Ekans' HP to about a little less than a third.

The Astonish makes Ekans flinch for a few seconds, so I instruct Dusk to go in for the finishing move.

"Dusk, use Psywave for the last time!" Dusk's accuracy doesn't falter, and she takes the Ekans out.

The female Grunt recalls Ekans. While growling grudgingly at me, she hands me 440. I heal Dusk with a Potion before continuing past her, and onto the last Grunt.

With Zellie's HP fully healed, I send her to take out the last Grunt's Pokémon. His team comprises of a Level 7 Rattata and two Level 9 Zubats. Zellie uses her Sonicboom +Water Gun combination to take out all three of the Grunt's Pokémon, to his dismay. She loses about half her HP in the process, but the experience she gains from it is more than worth it.

"Zellie grew to Level 8. Zellie grew to Level 9."

The last Grunt pays me 360. I heal Zellie again before recalling her so Spirit is the battling Pokémon.

I walk a few more steps past the last Grunt, and I can see a large man wearing an ugly black beret on my far right side. He hasn't made any indication that he's noticed me yet, so I loudly announce my presence while walking into his sight,

"Hey, Ugly Beret!"

The man's head snaps over to stare at me sharply. I immediately notice several things about him.

He's at least 8 feet away, but when he turns around to face me, I can tell how tall he is. I start walking closer, and I can tell his full height is probably around 6'2" or 6'3".

I get close enough to see that he appears to be in his late twenties. He's well muscled and broad shouldered.

His uniform is different than the rest of the Grunts. The regular Rocket Grunts wear black uniforms with grey boot and belts. This guy is wearing a grey uniform with a white belt and boots. I assume this means that he's of a higher rank.

To many, I guess his outfit might be considered stylish, but I just can't get over that beret. And underneath the beret, his hair sits neatly, but the color throws me for a loop: Mint Green?

I don't know what would be worse: That hair being natural, or deliberately choosing to dye your hair that color.

We finally make eye contact, his cat-like eyes staring me down intensely. Oddly enough, his eyes are the same color as hair.

I notice his gaze move down from my face, and I start to feel uncomfortable. He lingers too long on certain areas, and it's pissing me off. I feel a shiver run down my spine because of the way he's looking at me. It's the same way PG stares at a hot fudge sundae; like he's going to devour it! The mere thought makes me almost gag.

I have the sudden urge to cross my arms over my chest. The entire time, he never tears his stare away, and when he goes to speak, I'm almost afraid of what he'll say.

"Well, look at what we have here? Aren't you the cutest thing, trying to interfere with Team Rocket business," he says in what many could consider a smooth voice. I find it nothing but whiny and grating. I can't help but shudder in disgust.

"After I teach you a lesson and put you in your place, I might just keep you for myself!" He remarks while giving me the stare down again.

I purposely fake cough a few times while muttering the word, "Creep."

Apparently, he deciphers what word I'm saying because he frowns in response. His cat eyes glower at me, warning me not to make him angry. But I've never been one to listen to warnings.

And though he probably has 7-8 inches and 50 pounds on me, I'm not intimidated in the slightest. Big buff guys like him often rely on their huge build to intimidate people into doing what they want them to do. And since people rarely disobey them, they don't really want people calling their bluff. I think this guy is of the same breed, though I'm not sure if he's bluffing about the "keep me for himself" part. Ew.

I'm not even that that attractive by society's standards. Sometimes, at first glance, I look like a guy. I have no idea why a guy his age would ever be attracted to someone like me. Either way, he better keep his hands to themselves unless he'd like some broken fingers.

"I doubt you'd be able to catch me, let alone keep me," I reply cooly, whilst placing my hands in my pockets casually and allowing one eyebrow to rise.

His tough guy persona almost falters for a second, but he quickly recovers, and gives me the stink eye. Then, an expression of realization suddenly pops onto his face. He smirks at me, almost as if he has something to blackmail me with.

"My name is Proton," he introduces himself, "and I know who you are! You're Calypso Primrose, the delightful young woman who has a warrant out for her arrest. Your wanted poster was very interesting. I believe you're being charged for theft, aren't you?" He states smoothly, his smirk growing into a full blow grin.

He thinks he has me cornered. How cute. Well, I'm more than happy to show him how wrong he is. I smile sweetly, which seems to faze him.

"Had, motherfucker. I had a warrant out for my arrest. Not anymore. As of today, the wanted posters have been trashed and the warrant has been suspended until my investigation pends. So nice try, Rocket douche!"

I flip him the bird with both hands. His smug expression turns into a rueful smile. It's the smile of a guy who's struggling to control his anger. Let's see if I can push him a little bit too far…

"You're really testing my patience, sweetheart," He growls tensely, "and you wouldn't want to make me angry. I'm not just a mere Grunt, I'm a Team Rocket Executive. I'm considered to be the cruelest and scariest guy in Team Rocket, and I'm not afraid to live up to my reputation. So, Callie, are you gonna be a good girl and behave, or am I going to have to punish you?"

The mocking nickname and sexist comments cause my little self-control to instantly disintegrate into nothing. I barely comprehend anything that I am doing as my left fist does a meet n' greet with Proton's face. I hear a sickening crack; Blood starts spurting from Proton's nose in a steady stream.

"You crazy fucking bitch! You broke my nose," Proton screams, though his voice is slightly messed up due to the broken nose.

"The name's Calypso, motherfucker, and you know, just as a suggestion, why don't you use your ugly beret to soak up your nose blood? It really has no other useful purpose. No, wait, I was wrong, it covers up your hideous hair color! Tell me, is that natural, or did you purposely want to look like a weirdly deformed tree?"

I see that I'm in for a real fight when I see murder in Proton's kitty eyes.

"You," Proton snarls sinisterly, "You made a big mistake, sweetheart. I was going to be nice, and let you leave here unharmed. But now? You've ignited the wrath of Team Rocket, and you've made it personal. You got here with your Pokémon, so I'm going to end it with Pokémon. Go Zubat!"

Proton's Zubat is Level 8, weaker than I expected for a Rocket Executive.

Spirit indicates that she'd like to take on the Zubat, and flies to face the Zubat in the air.

"Spirit, let's take these fuckers down!"

*Spirit's POV*

I am staring at the sleaze ball's Zubat, who looks mildly terrified. He looks like he has no idea what's going on, and he refuses to make eye contact with me. Wait, never mind, I forgot Zubats' don't actually have eyes.

"You seem to be really confused right now. Are you okay?" I ask the Zubat.

"No, not really, miss. I was captured by this man a few days ago, and this is the first time I've been out of that Ball since then, and I have no idea what's going on."

"Zubat, use Supersonic!" The sleaze ball commands. The Zubat hears his name, but doesn't use the move.

"Is he talking to me?" The Zubat asks me.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry at this situation.

"Yes, he is talking to you. He's your human. Look, this is a Pokémon battle between two humans and their Pokémon. Your human pissed off my human, so I have to knock you out now."

"Zubat, USE SUPERSONIC!" Sleaze Ball bellows. His Zubat finally figures out that the command is for him, so he screeches a super sonic sound blast to try and confuse me. I've seen too many of my team members fall for this tactic, and I refuse to. So I manage to fly up and dodge it.

"Spirit, use your Faint Attack!" Calypso instructs.

I enjoy using this move. It has an above average power base, it gets a 1.5 typing bonus, and it plays well with my high attack. Plus, it never misses.

I disappear into a cloud of darkness, and the Zubat freaks out because he can't figure out where I am. A second or two later, my cloud opens up behind him, so I strike.

The Faint Attack knocks him out in one hit. Calypso ruffles my head feathers in affection before returning me to my Poké Ball for a nap.

*Calypso's POV*

Proton grits his teeth and growls in anger, "Return, you waste of space!"

Part of me feels bad for the Zubat. No Pokémon deserves that verbal abuse.

"That first battle was a fluke! I just caught that Zubat, and hadn't trained it yet. But my last Pokémon is much stronger!" Proton tries to boast.

"Yeah, that's what they all say. At least you just admitted that you basically suck as a Trainer, though."

Proton growls again but says nothing as he sends out his last Pokémon, a Level 12 Koffing.

I can't help but start to cough. Koffing's poison gas is nothing to laugh at.

I go to send out Dusk, but Cyndi's Poké Ball starts shaking. She let's herself out of her Poké Ball.

"Let me fight!" Cyndi requests, "I haven't been battling lately, and this guy looks like a chump."

"Good observance, Cyndi! Go ahead and wreck them."

*Cyndi's POV*

The Koffing's toxic gas is really making it hard for us all to breathe.

"Cyndi, use your Quick Attack!"

I begin charging the Koffing, but his human says a command first,

"Koffing, use Poison Gas!"

I plow into Koffing just as he starts amping up his Poison Gas. The hit reduces his HP by 2/5ths, but I also get poisoned in the process. Definitely not my favorite status problem.

I can feel the poison in my bloodstream, and I start to feel a bit woozy. But for Calypso and the Team's sake, I am going to be strong.

"You got this, Cyndi!" Calypso cheers in encouragement, "use your Ember attack!"

"Koffing, use Smokescreen!" His human screeches. Arceus, I hate that guy.

I charge a fire ball until it's blue, and shoot it at the Koffing. Unfortunately, he releases his smokescreen right before I see whether it hit or not.

When the smoke finally clears, I see the Koffing collapsed on the ground, fainted. Calypso loses her shit when she realizes that I'm poisoned.

"Here, Cyndi," She says soothingly as she uses an Antidote and a Potion on me. The physical relief of the medicine makes me feel so tired that Calypso recalls me into my Poké Ball.

*Calypso's POV*

"Grr… For a rookie Trainer to be this good… I didn't see it coming." Proton says as he recalls Koffing.

Proton crosses his arms together, and refuses to make eye contact with me like a Growlithe with its tail between its legs.

"Humph… Team Rocket was indeed broken up three years ago. But we continued our activities underground. A small obstacle like you won't be much of a problem for our mission. I advise you to be very afraid of what's to come!" He warns me before flinging a small wad of money at me for winning and fleeing the Well using an Escape Rope.

I go to check on the Slowpokes, when I hear footsteps coming closer. I get nervous, only to relax when I realize that it's Kurt.

"Way to go, Calypso! Team Rocket has taken off! My back's better, too. Let's get out of here."

"Sounds like a plan!" I reply. Kurt and I safely transport the injured Slowpoke to the Pokémon Center for treatment before returning to Kurt's house.

We get back to Kurt's house, and he invites me in. The moment we step in, I hear a yell of,

"GRANDPA!"

A little girl who looks to be about six runs into the room, and clings to Kurt. Then, she takes one look at me, and says,

"Where's Slowpoke? Who are you? You look funny. Did you help get Slowpoke back from the bad people?"

"Calypso, this is my granddaughter, Maizie. Maizie, this is Calypso. She helped bring Slowpoke back from the bad people. And Slowpoke is at the Pokémon Center so they can heal him."

Maizie marches up to me, and to my surprise, she gives me a hug!

"I like you! I hope grandpa makes Poké Balls for you all the time!"

"Calypso, you handled yourself like a real hero. As I mentioned before, Team Rocket was disbanded by a boy called Red three years ago. Now that they have come back… I have a bad feeling about it… In any case, it would please me greatly to make Poké Balls for a Trainer like you, Calypso. This all I have now, but take it."

Kurt hands me a Poké Ball that I don't recognize.

"It's a Fast Ball," he explains, "It works especially well on Pokémon with a high speed stat."

"Thanks, Kurt!" I take a glance at the nearby window, and I notice the sky getting dark.

"I think I'm going to need to rent a Pokémon Center room tonight so I'm going to head out. It was awesome meeting you guys."

"Noooooo!" Maizie runs towards me and wraps her arms around my legs.

"Don't go! Grandpa has one more bed for when I want to have sleepovers! You should staaaaaay!"

Kurt smiles softly at Maizie's fondness for me. "Maizie is right, you know. You are more than welcome to stay if you'd like. We have an extra bed, and you wouldn't have to pay for a hotel room."

"Well, when you put it like that, I can't really say no."

Maizie squeals happily, "YAY! Sleepover!"

So Kurt makes a homemade chowder for us all to share for dinner, and despite me asking several times if he needs help, the old man refuses to let me help him.

"You're a guest at my home. The only thing I need to for you to do is to sit down, and enjoy your meal."

After dinner, Maizie and I play a few board games, including her favorite, Chutes and Ladders. We play that game about three times, Maizie winning two of the three times.

At around 8:30, Kurt sends Maizie off to bed.

I start towards the room where Kurt said I'd be staying, but the soft utterance of my name stops me in my tracks. I turn around, and Kurt is standing in the hallway, a strange expression gracing his features.

"Calypso, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to have a few words with you before you turn it for the night."

Part of me inwardly panics. What if Kurt saw my wanted poster? Is he going to confront me?!

"Sure," I reply nonchalantly, hoping he doesn't pick up on my anxiety, "After, I am a guest in your home. How can I say no?"

"You are one clever girl," Kurt chuckles, and gestures me to for me to follow him.

He leads me back to his kitchen/dining room and we sit at the dining room table, which is placed right next to the kitchen window. Taking a gander out the window, I notice that the moon is full. That explains all the crazy energy going on with every thing today.

I turn my head back to Kurt, and he's looking at me with that weird expression again. He stares at me for long enough that I ask,

"So, Kurt… what did you wanna talk to me about?"

His stare breaks, and he looks like he's snapped out of a trance. He still doesn't say anything, so I question,

"Hey, Kurt, you there? You seem a little off."

He finally comes back to reality and starts talking in a flurry.

"I've just been thinking and pondering constantly since I saw you for the first time today, Calypso. You looked familiar, like someone that I used to know, but I just couldn't put my finger on it. Then, when I fell down the Well, I had to lie there for long enough for my back to feel better, so I could get up. It took me almost the entire time you were defeating Team Rocket to figure it out, but I did."

He hasn't mentioned anything about the wanted poster yet, so that makes me feel better. But I'm still anxious.

"So what did you figure out," I ask tentatively.

"I'll tell it to you in a story. When I was a young Pokémon Trainer, I had a group of friends that I was rather close with. Professor Oak and Agatha of the Elite Four were among these friends. Another member of this group was a young man by the name of Peter Marken. Most people called him Pete."

I flinch at the surname, which I know I shouldn't because it's my dad's surname, but it's also Gran's surname. I resist the urge to vomit.

If he notices my reaction, he doesn't say anything. He continues on,

"Anyway, Pete was a talented Pokémon Trainer. He routinely competed against the other members of the group, and won about 60% of the time. He could've trained to become the Champion, but Pete had a different passion. He joined the Goldenrod City Police Department at age twenty, and he served as an Officer and a Detective.

When he was 21, he met a woman named Ruth who worked in the Attorneys' Department. They fell in love, and when he was 25, they had a son named Daniel.

Pete served in the Police Department for 15 years until a leg injury forced him to retire when he was 35.

Then, his son, Daniel, grew up, and became a semi-famous fisherman. He met a Kimono Girl named Akira Primrose while she was vacationing in his hometown of Cianwood City.

They fell in love and got married, and he moved from Cianwood City to her hometown of Ecruteak City, despite Ruth's insistence that he stay in Cianwood. Dan felt that her job as a Kimono Girl was more important. They settled there, and soon Akira became pregnant with a daughter."

Then he has the audacity to look pointedly at me. I throw him a tight lipped smile.

"Okay, you caught me. My name is Calypso Aspen Primrose. I am the daughter of Daniel Marken and Akira Primrose. Pete and Ruth Marken are my paternal grandparents. Happy?"

"Yes and no. Pete was one of my closest friends, and to see his granddaughter carry on his Trainer legacy makes me happy. But I also miss him, too. He died a year after you were born, from a heart attack. He was only 48! Oh, well, the good people always go the fastest." Kurt finishes.

"Do I look like Pete?" I ask Kurt after a comfortable moment of silence.

"Huh? Oh yeah, you do. You look like both Pete and Daniel. You've got that brown shaggy hair that both of them had. But you also have the smoothness of Akira's facial features, and her purple eyes. So, in all, I'd say you're a nice mix of your parents' features."

That makes me smile instantly.

"No one has ever told me I look like my parents, ever! Mostly because they're dead, but Gran also hated them, so she never talked about them. I'm just glad I look nothing like her," I say gratefully.

"Ruth has been a selfish person ever since I met her. When Pete and I were still close, he would tell me what was going on with his family at times.

Ruth hated Akira because she married Daniel, and she hated Daniel for daring to move away to Ecruteak, where she couldn't control him.

And she put all this stress on Pete, trying to get him to help her break the two up so Daniel would come home, but he always refused. It's no wonder the man had a heart attack."

"Yeah, Ruth still isn't a good person. Did you ever hear what happened to me after Daniel and Akira died," I ask.

Kurt shakes his head, and says,

"No, after Pete died, no one in that family kept contact with me. I had to find out that Dan and Akira had died from reading a newspaper article. There was no way Ruth was ever going to contact me. She hated and was jealous of Pete's friends and coworkers. She wanted nothing to do with us."

"Well, then I have a story for you," I declare,

"I was only four years old when Mom and Dad died. In accordance with their will, their family friend, Tina, was to be my legal guardian if anything ever happened to them. I think my dad put that in there after he moved to Ecruteak, and cut off Gran, so she couldn't control me like she did to him.

Well, Gran didn't like that, and she put in a request to the Goldenrod City Court, claiming legal custody of me because of her being an immediate blood-related family member. She used her power within the Legal Department to make an old conservative judge that she knew take the case. And, because of her corrupting and cheating the judicial system, she gained full custody of me!"

Kurt's expression goes from curious to horrified in a split second.

"You're telling me you spent your entire childhood with Ruth, and you turned out okay?"

I can't help but laugh at his statement, "Yes, and believe me, I had to fight to keep my sanity intact the entire time. She was always overbearing, and tried to control every aspect of my life. At that point, I was the only thing left of her life with her husband and her son, aka, the only thing left for her to control.

I tried to escape multiple times as a kid, but I was always clumsy. She'd hear me knocking stuff over, and bust me. Then, when I was fifteen, I started to behave in order to gain her trust. After a year of good behavior, Gran let me go outside unsupervised for the first time.

On one of my outside excursions, I met a Medicine Guru who lives at the bottom of Cianwood City. I told him my story, and he said he'd help me escape from Gran, because he thought she was crazy, too. Over the next year, he helped me keep my sanity in check, and he gave me my first Pokémon, Spirit.

There was a day where Gran had to go serve jury duty in Goldenrod City. The Pharmacy Guy and I used that day to do my escape. After Gran left me in charge of the house while she was gone, I ransacked the place, and did quite a lot of property damage. Then, PG got me a ferry that took me to New Bark Town, where I finally started my journey."

Kurt takes a second to process all of that information. After a moment, he says decidedly, "Ruth probably deserved it. That woman has been bad news since day one."

I pull out a wanted poster of me that I took from the Pokémon Center back in Violet City. I roll it out, and show him it.

"Ruth is trying to charge me with Grand Larceny and Destruction of Property. What she doesn't know is that I have a few friends who work in the Johto Police Department, helping me work on my case. They've gotten the wanted posters taken down, and my arrest warrant suspended. They're going to investigate Gran for corrupt judicial activity, and for domestic abuse."

Kurt gives me a sharp look. "Abuse? You never mentioned abuse in your story before. What type of abuse?"

"Let's just say Ruth has depression, alcoholism, and anger issues, in that order," I say dismissively.

"Humph! And she claimed to be the superior guardian… Well, Calypso, I'm so sorry you had to suffer through such circumstances as a child. I will do everything in my power as your grandfather's friend to keep Ruth away from you. I might be a little old, but I still got some kick left in me," Kurt exclaims warmly.

I can't help but tear up at his dedication. "Thank you so much, Kurt! It's so satisfying to know someone else sees her the way I see her. I can't handle her obsessiveness anymore. I am my own person, and she needs to realize that."

"I don't think she ever will," Kurt interjects, "that's the kind of person she is. She doesn't have enough of a sense of self to sustain her so she suffocates the personalities of the people around her."

"I've never heard a truer statement, Kurt."

We both look at the clock. It's 10:30. My mouth stretches open as a yawn I didn't know I had forces its way out.

"Well, we better get to sleep if we want to be rested for tomorrow. It was nice talking to you, Calypso. Goodnight."

"Night, Kurt."

That night, I fall asleep with a peace of mind that I don't know if I've ever felt before. I feel at home.


	14. Buggy Boy Battles

*Calypso's POV*

I wake up to Maizie screaming, "CALYPSO! WAKE UP! GRANDPA MADE BREAKFAST!"

I sit up erratically, accidentally pushing a sleeping Cyndi off of me, and onto the floor.

'What the hell,' She exclaims indignantly.

"I'm so sorry, Cyndi, I didn't realize you were snoozing on me."

'It's okay,' She murmurs grumpily.

It takes me ten minutes to get out of bed, and change out of my pajamas. Surprisingly, Cyndi is my only Pokémon awake right now. Normally, Zellie and Forest are among my early risers.

Cyndi and I walk down Kurt's hallway, passing Kurt's room on the right, and Maizie's on the left. When we get to the kitchen, Kurt greets me with a small smile. "Good morning, Calypso."

Maizie pulls me by my wrist into the seat she chose for me. Setting a bowl and a spoon in front of me, she says excitedly,

"Grandpa put Berries in the oatmeal today, so it's gonna be super yummy!"

Before I know what she's doing, Maizie grabs my Poké Belt, and lets out all of my Pokémon.

Forest and Zellie look happy to be awake, while Dusk and Spirit seem like they want to kill multiple people.

All of them but Dusk are overjoyed when Maizie puts down bowls of Oran Berries in front of them. Dusk won't eat the berries, despite Maizie's sad face. I beckon her over.

"Hey, don't worry Maizie, Dusk doesn't like normal Pokémon food. You know the feeling you get when you're scared? Well, Dusk eats those feelings."

Maizie's eyes go wide, and for a moment, I think I'm in trouble. But then she says,

"That's so cool! She scares people and eats it all up!"

Laughing, I reply, "Yep, pretty much. I'll probably feed her later when we're exploring the forest."

After everyone is finished with breakfast, I pack up the rest of my stuff. "I think I'm going to challenge the Azalea Town Gym today."

"Good luck, Calypso," Kurt encourages,"With Pete's blood in your veins, I'm sure you'll do well!"

"Yeah!" Maizie agrees.

"Before you leave, Calypso, did you want me to turn any Apricorns into Poké Balls?

I pull out two Black Apricorns. "Here, could you make these?"

"Okay, it'll take a day to make you your Poké Balls. You can come back later for it."

Maizie grabs onto the bottom of my shorts. "Hey, Grandpa wants me to give you his phone number," she says as I input the number into my phone, "He'll tell you when the Poké Balls are done."

"You can also call me whenever you need my help, Calypso. I'll always be here for you."

"Thank you so much, Kurt!" I give him a hug, and he tenses up. After a moment, he relaxes, and hugs me back. Maizie makes it a group hug, and wraps her arms around the two of us. After a minute of squish, we all let go.

"See you guys later! I'll call you after the Gym Battle to let you know how it went," I offer to Kurt and Maizie.

"Sounds like a plan," Kurt accepts, while Maizie cheers me on, "Go Calypso! You can beat 'em!"

I stop by the Poké Mart on the upper right side of Azalea Town to stock up on healing items. I made some decent money from battling the Union Cave Trainers, battling Anthony, and from kicking Team Rocket's asses. Added up all together, I made 3784 in earnings.

I used a lot of Potions in Slowpoke Well, so I buy enough Potions so I have ten in my bag. Azalea Gym is full of Bug type Pokémon that like to cause status problems, so I buy two each of Antidotes, Parlyz Heals, and Awakenings for good measure.

I see a Super Potion, and I wonder if I need it. Cyndi, Spirit and Zellie all have enough HP to need a Super Potion, so I go ahead and grab three of them. Just in case.

Now that I'm properly stocked up, I walk over to the Azalea City Gym. I put Zellie in the front of my party so she can train. We walk into the building to the lobby where the Gym Guru greets us. He gives me some advice about Bug Pokémon that I already know, but I thank him anyway. We pass by him, and into the main room of the Gym.

The first thing I see is a giant chasm in the middle of the floor. There is a spider-themed transportation system over the chasm. I can pick one of three spiders; they each will take me to different places. I see a Bug Catcher on the far right side of the chasm. I step on the spider in the middle, hoping it will take me to him. To my surprise, it does!

"Hey, if you're looking to defeat Bugsy, you have to beat me first," Bug Catcher Al shouts at me. He sends out a Level 12 Caterpie. Zellie runs forward to battle it.

"Caterpie, use String Shot!"

The Caterpie pumps out a shitload of white silly string, and attempts to wrap Zellie in it.

"Zellie, counter with Water Gun to break up the string," I suggest.

Zellie unleashes a large amount of water onto the Caterpie's string shot, removing its stickiness. The Water Gun also barely hits the Caterpie, which lowers its HP by a fourth.

"Caterpie, use your Tackle attack!"

The Caterpie rushes Zellie, and hits her in the chest. It doesn't do much damage because of Zellie's defense.

"Zellie, use Sonicboom!"

The sound wave hits Caterpie, and almost knocks it out. Bugcatcher Al makes one last desperate attempt to stay in it,

"Caterpie, use Tackle!"

I yell out, "Zellie, use Water Gun!"

The Caterpie charges Zellie again, but it never makes contact because Zellie's Water Gun sends it flying.

When Caterpie hits the ground, we see that's it's fainted. Al recalls Caterpie.

"You can do it, Weedle," he says as he sends out his Level 12 Weedle.

"Zellie, use Water Gun!"

"Weedle, use Poison Sting," Al cries out.

Weedle moves faster than Caterpie, and manages to dodge Zellie's Water Gun. However, Zellie isn't as lucky, and she gets poisoned. The Poison Sting drains her HP to 3/4ths. Then, the poison status reduces it a bit more.

"Zellie, use your Sonicboom!"

The Weedle goes to dodge it, but Zellie changes direction, hitting the Weedle straight on.

"Weedle, Poison Sting, one more time!"

"Zellie, Water Gun!"

Zellie's Water Gun hits first, knocking Weedle out. Zellie dodges the Weedle's Poison Sting by inches.

"Zellie grew to Level 10. Zellie can learn the move Pursuit. Did you want to get rid of a move to replace with Pursuit?" The Pokédex asks us.

"I'd like to replace Water Sport with Pursuit," Zellie requests.

"Zellie forgot Water Sport, and Zellie learned Pursuit!"

Wow, I guess you won..." Bugcatcher Al says as he recalls Weedle. He hands me 192.

I heal poor Zellie with an Antidote and a Potion before we ride the spider back to the start.

We choose to ride the spider on the right, but it takes us to a dead end. So back to the start we ride. The left can't be the wrong choice…

We finally reach the middle platform, and we have to cross the path of Bug Catcher Benny to ride the next set of spiders.

"Hey! Bug Pokémon are strong because they evolve quickly! I'll show you!"

Benny sends out a Level 7 Weedle. Zellie, now fully healed, takes it on.

Zellie has no problem taking the Weedle out with her Water Gun after dodging Poison Sting. Benny recalls Weedle, and sends out a Level 9 Kakuna. I'm starting to see a pattern here...

"Kakuna, Poison Sting!"

Zellie gets hit again from an unexpected Poison Sting. It affects her HP a tiny bit, but luckily it doesn't poison her again.

"Zellie, use Sonicboom!"

Zellie's Sonicboom hits the Kakuna, and it reduces the Kakuna's HP by a third.

"Kakuna, use Harden!"

Kakuna heightens its Defense. But that doesn't concern me…

"Zellie, use Water Gun!" Kakuna's Special Defense isn't as strong as its Defense, and it goes down. Benny recalls Kakuna.

"Zellie grew to Level 11!" The Pokédex says. I congratulate Zellie before recalling her. I know what's to come, so I gotta be prepared for it…

"Go, Beedrill!" Benny shouts as he sends out a Level 12 Beedrill.

"Spirit, I choose you!" Spirit looks a little bit annoyed to be battling, but she's well rested, so she decides to give it a shot.

"Beedrill, use Poison Sting!"

"Spirit, fly up to dodge, and then go in for a Peck!"

Spirit is just slightly faster than Beedrill, so she avoids the Poison Sting by inches. She flies behind Beedrill, and goes in for the Peck.

It hits Beedrill directly on the back of the head, reducing its HP by a little more than a half.

"Beedrill, use your Fury Attack!" Beedrill comes after Spirit with its massive stingers. Spirit fends off the first two attacks, but Beedrill breaks her Defense. He hits her three times in a row, reducing her HP by a fourth.

"Spirit, knock Beedrill out of the sky with a Wing Attack!" Spirit soars towards Beedrill, wings out stretched.

"Beedrill, use Harden!"

Beedrill ups its Defense by a level right before Spirit strikes, but it isn't enough to keep it from fainting. Benny recalls Beedrill.

"Wow! You might be strong enough to defeat Bugsy!"

Benny hands me 192. I heal Spirit with a Potion and switch her to the front of the party before continuing. I can see Bugsy on a platform directly across from us, but I doubt the puzzle will let us get there easily.

The second part of the spider chasm puzzle is much more complicated than the first. There is only one spider, but there are several ways the spider can go. There is a blue level switch on the right of the spider. I decide to flip it. I see the blue colored path bend weirdly.

Spirit and I step on the spider, and it takes us to the upper right corner, where a Bugcatcher awaits us.

Bugcatcher Josh only has one Pokémon, a Level 13 Paras. Spirit decides to make it quick.

"Paras, use Stun Spore!"

"Spirit, dodge it and go in for a Peck!"

Paras shoots a large amount of stunning yellow powder into the air, creating a golden cloud of paralyzing static. Spirit can't help but fly into it, just because of how big it is. She twitches every few seconds because of the paralysis, but I can see the murder in her eyes. We vastly underestimated Paras's status moves, but it's not a mistake we'll make again. But if we can make one super effective hit, I know Paras will go down.

"Spirit, you got this! Use Wing Attack!"

"Paras, dodge it, and use Scratch!"

Spirit puts all of her power into charging the Paras, wings outstretched. Just as she's about to plough into him, Paras uses Scratch on Spirit's left wing. His claw hooks onto her wing, and she takes off into the sky, freaking out because he's hooked onto her.

"Paras, use Leech Life!" The Paras uses it's grip to reach up and bite Spirit, draining her HP by a small amount. Spirit freaks out even more. I look everywhere, trying to decide what to do to get it off of her, when I notice a tree to our left. I decide to take advantage of our environment.

"Spirit, use Wing Attack into that tree!"

Spirit gets what I'm getting at, and to the great shock of Bugcatcher Josh, she throws the Paras into the tree with her Wing Attack. I'm right; It only took one hit.

Bugcatcher Josh picks up his fainted Paras, and says, "You are a monster! Look at poor Paras!"

I can't believe this kid. Spirit went through hell to win that battle.

"Look, kid, you're a Gym Trainer. You chose to play the game. You played, and you lost. Now, I believe you owe me money?"

Bugcatcher Josh growls at me, and throws the money at me like I'm a stripper.

'What a sore loser.' Spirit comments as we ride on the spider back to the middle platform.

"You're not kidding. Hey, come here. I'm going to use a Parlyz Heal on you. Do you need a Potion, or do you think you're okay?"

'I only lost a tiny bit of health, so I'll be okay for now,' Spirit says as I spray the Parlyz Heal on her. I can tell it's working when she stops twitching.

"All right, I'm going to flip the switch back so we go on another path. Are you ready, or do you want me to switch you out?"

'I'm okay to fight.'

So Spirit and I flip the switch back to the original path, and the spider takes us to the upper most left corner. A pair of twins make eye contact with us.

"Hey, you have to battle us if you wanna get to Bugsy," The first twin, Amy, says.

"Yeah," finishes the second twin, Mimi, "With two Pokémon!"

"Wait? A battle with two Pokémon," I ask confusedly.

"Hey, Mimi, this is her first double battle! We should show her how it's done!"

"You said it, Amy! We're each going to send out a Pokémon, and you gotta send out two. Go Ledyba!"

"Go Spinarak!"

Each twin sends out a Bug Pokémon, both Level 10. My Pokémon have never actually worked in sync before, so I'm a bit nervous. The first two Pokémon in my party are Spirit and Dusk, and somehow, I think that combination will work.

"Go, Spirit and Dusk!"

Spirit and Dusk bewilderedly look at each other, then at me, and then at the Bug Pokémon.

"It's a double battle. You guys gotta work together to win the battle."

They both look at each other for a second before silently agreeing to cooperate.

"Spinarak, use String Shot on Murkrow!" Spinarak tangles Spirit in white string, lowering her speed.

"Ledyba, use Comet Punch on Murkrow while it's slow!"

"Dusk, use Astonish on Ledyba to stop it from hitting Spirit!"

Dusk's Astonish gets a 1.5 type bonus, and it lowers Ledyba's HP to a little less than half. It causes Ledyba to flinch like I hoped, so it can't go after Spirit.

"Spirit, use Wing Attack on Spinarak!"

"Spinarak, hit it with your Poison Sting!"

Spirit dodges Spinarak's Poison Sting, but Amy calls out, "Ledyba, use Tackle!"

Ledyba launches itself towards Spirit, attempting a Tackle, but it epically fails because it tackles itself straight into Spirit's Wing Attack, knocking it out instantly.

Mimi tries to save the battle, "Spinarak, use Poison Sting on Misdreavus!"

"Dusk, dodge it and counter with Psywave!"

Dusk's Psywave pushes back the Poison Sting, and when the super effective attack hits Spinarak, it faints.

"Spirit grew to Level 18. Dusk grew to Level 17." The Pokédex says. I praise both Spirit and Dusk before recalling the latter. Spirit flies up to perch my shoulder.

"Awww, our Bug Pokémon lost," says Amy disappointedly.

"And to a Trainer who never had a double battle before," Mimi finishes.

The twins hand me 320 in winnings. I see a blue switch to the right of them, so I flip it. I see the blue path shift again. Spirit and I ride the spider, and it takes us to a small platform right behind the one with the twins. There is a red switch there, so I flip that one too. The red path twists weirdly.

By now I realize that I've beaten all the Gym Trainers. I heal Spirit and Dusk with a Potion before switching Spirit out with Cyndi as my battling Pokémon. Spirit chooses to stay perched on my shoulder so she can witness the Gym Battle. Spirit, Cyndi and I step on the spider for hopefully the last time.

The spider finally takes us to the Gym Leader's platform, where Bugsy is waiting for us. I make eye contact with the softest pair of lavender eyes. I can't really tell whether they're a boy or girl, but then again, you can't really tell with me half the time either. My chest sticks out more than theirs, so I still don't know.

Either way, Bugsy is really easy on the eyes. Their hair is the same shade of lavender as their eyes, and it's kinda shaggy like mine, but a tiny bit longer. They're wearing a green polo shirt and shorts with a yellow tie, while white socks and brown shoes adorn their feet. A genuine smile rests on their lips, unlike Faulkner's smug smile.

I feel a beak on my left ear, and I realize that I've been staring. I'm so glad Spirit knocked me out of my trance; I have to remember to thank her later.

"Hi, I'm Calypso, and I've come to challenge you for the Hive Badge," I introduce myself to Bugsy. When they speak, I realize he's male.

"I'm Bugsy! I never lose when it comes to Bug-type Pokémon. My research is going to make me an authority on Bug-type Pokémon! Let me demonstrate what I've learned from my studies."

Bugsy sends out a Level 17 Scyther that's honestly terrifying. But if anyone can handle it, I know Cyndi can.

"Cyndi, use Quick Attack!"

"Scyther, dodge it and use Leer!"

Scyther glares at Cyndi harshly as Cyndi charges her, lowering her Defense. Scyther tries to sidestep her Quick Attack, but Cyndi's accuracy doesn't fail. It reduces Scyther's HP by a fifth.

"Cyndi, set Scyther on fire with your Ember," I call out to her.

"Scyther, don't let it hit you! Use U-Turn on Quilava!"

Scyther moves away quickly, but Cyndi's Ember catches on one of Scyther's wings. It lowers Scyther's HP to slightly less than half. Scyther does a stop, drop, and roll to get the fire out, and then she rushes Cyndi, hitting her with U-Turn. Despite Cyndi's lowered Defense, it only does a sixth of her HP in damage.

Bugsy recalls Scyther back into her Poké Ball because of the U-Turn. He sends out a Level 15 Metapod instead.

"Metapod, use Tackle!"

"Cyndi, dodge it and use Ember!"

Metapod tackles Cyndi, knocking on her butt to Cyndi and I's surprise. It reduces Cyndi's HP to 3/4ths. Who knew a Metapod could be that strong?

But Cyndi doesn't let Metapod get away with her assault. She fires up an Ember attack and shoots it straight at Metapod. It doesn't take long before Metapod is engulfed in flames, and after a moment, we see that she's fainted.

"Metapod, come back," Bugsy says as he recalls her, "You did a great job out there. Now, Kakuna, I choose you!"

Bugsy sends out a Level 15 Kakuna. Since his Metapod was able to use a damaging move like Tackle, I'm almost betting that Kakuna will be able to. But since Weedles never learn Tackle, I'm gonna have to deal with Poison Sting instead. As long as Cyndi is able to hit it with an Ember, it'll go down. But he'll be expecting that, so I'll try something different...

"Kakuna, use Poison Sting," Bugsy calls out.

"Cyndi, use Smokescreen!"

Cyndi discharges a large cloud of black smoke from her mouth. Kakuna's accuracy is cut by a level, so Cyndi manages to dodge Poison Sting. Bugsy yells out a command,

"Kakuna, don't let it get away! Use Poison Sting again!"

"You can dodge it, Cyndi! Now use Ember!"

Cyndi uses the rest of the smoke cloud to hide herself from Poison Sting again. Then, she pinpoints Kakuna's location in the smoke before hurling a fire ball straight at it. When the smoke finally clears, Kakuna is fainted on the ground.

"Kakuna, come back! You did a great job," Bugsy says as he recalls Kakuna.

"Cyndi grew to Level 20. Cyndi can learn the move Flame Wheel. Did you want to replace a move with Flame Wheel?"

'Yeah, I'll replace Tackle with Flame Wheel!' Cyndi says excitedly.

"Cyndi forgot Tackle, and Cyndi learned Flame Wheel!"

At this point, Bugsy only has Scyther left to battle with. She has less than half her health left, so Cyndi and I are hoping for an easy finish.

"Scyther, use your Quick Attack!" Bugsy says, hoping to get a few hits in before Cyndi can attack.

"Cyndi, use your new Flame Wheel attack!"

Scyther is quicker, and she gets a solid hit on Cyndi, reducing Cyndi's HP to half.

"Scyther, use Focus Energy! You need a critical hit to take Quilava out!"

Cyndi takes a second to recover, but she starts charging her flame until it's that bright blue color that let's me know she's ready to end this.

"Now, Cyndi, use Flame Wheel to end this battle!"

Cyndi starts dashing for speed before rolling into a blue flame covered wheel heading straight for Scyther.

"Scyther, dodge it and use U-Turn,"Bugsy attempts one last command, but it has no effect because Cyndi is too fast.

"Quilava!" Cyndi squeals as she rolls directly into Scyther, causing massive super effective damage. Scyther sprawls out on the ground, fainted.

"Aw, that's the end of it..." Bugsy says as he recalls Scyther back to her Poké Ball.

Spirit and Cyndi watch in excitement as Bugsy pulls out a badge, and says,

"Whoa, you're amazing! You're an expert on Pokémon! My research isn't complete yet. Okay, you win. Take this Badge."

Bugsy hands me a badge that resembles a ladybug.

"Thanks, Bugsy, the team and I trained hard for this," I smile warmly.

"Do you know the benefits of the Hive Badge? If you have it, Pokémon up to Level 30 will obey you, even traded ones. Pokémon that know Cut will be able to use it outside of battle, too. Here, I also want you to have this."

Bugsy pulls out a TM and hands it to me. "TM89 contains U-Turn. It let's your Pokémon attack, then switch with the next Pokémon in your party. Isn't that great?"

"Yeah, I'm sure I'll find a way to work it in to our strategy," I assure him.

"Anyway, Bug-type Pokémon are deep. There are many mysteries to explore. Study your choices thoroughly."

"I will. I'm heading towards Goldenrod City for the next Gym Badge today. But not before I take my team to rest at the Pokémon Center."

So Bugsy and I exchange goodbyes before Spirit and I start to leave the Gym. Riding the second spider out, I feel Spirit's beak on my neck again.

"Hey, what's up," I ask, "You don't normally nudge me unless you need to talk or you want something."

Spirit chirps in slight annoyance at my comment, but replies,

'I was wondering what happened when you first saw Bugsy. You just kept staring at him, and it was almost like you were in a trance.'

I step out of the Gym before I say the next part so no one hears me,

"I guess I was staring because I thought he was cute, okay? Are you judging me for having functioning eyes?"

'Hey, no need to get so defensive! I just didn't want it to look like you were ogling him. Although it's crazy to think you'd ever find someone attractive. You used to hate people,' Spirit comments thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I've found that not all people are shit. Maybe just Gran and almost the entire population of Cianwood City. Anyway, I have people I can confide and believe in now! And, at the very least, are nice to me. PG, Professor Elm, JC, JP, Kurt, and Bugsy… even Silver has more to him than meets the eye."

As we walk towards the Pokémon Center, I keep hearing rustling in the trees near the Azalea Gym. The rustling even startles Spirit at one point, but we walk along, both just hoping it was a Pokémon.

We finally make it to the Pokémon Center after our brief conversation. I recall Spirit into her Poké Ball so Nurse Joy can heal her and the rest of the Team.

After they're healed, I glance at the time on my Poké Gear. 2:00 pm. There's still enough time to have a small lunch and still explore Ilex Forest before it gets dark.

I move to a corner booth and let my Team out of their Poké Balls. I feed all of them their standard Pokémon food, except for Dusk, who will feed herself while we're exploring the forest. I then recall all of them except for Dusk, placing her at the front of my party.

I take a second to say goodbye to Kurt and Maizie before continuing on towards Ilex Forest, Dusk floating at my side. I start to hear the trees around us rustling again.

"Did you hear that," I whisper to Dusk on my left, "That was happening earlier when Spirit and I were leaving the Gym."

The trees rustle again aggressively. 'I'll check it out!' Dusk squeals as she flies into the woods towards the rustling.

It only takes a few seconds before I hear yelling coming from the woods. About a minute later, I hear heavy footsteps heading towards me. All of a sudden, a disgruntled Silver falls out onto the path in front of me, a giggling Dusk hanging onto the back of his flaming hair. Dusk lets go of Silver's hair, flying over to float on my left side.

'It was Jerkface,' Dusk squeaks in amusement, 'He was spying on us from the woods, so I spooked him, and ate it all! It was so yummy! This is payback for when he kidnapped us in Violet City!'

Silver picks himself off the ground, brushes himself off, and then says indignantly,

"This isn't the first time I've had to tell you to keep your damn Pokémon on a leash!"

I roll my eyes at his typical statement. "I didn't listen the first time you said it, what makes you think I'd listen the second time? You can consider this payback for when you kidnapped us back in Violet City. Anyway, we know it's been you who's been sneaking around the woods all this time! Silver, you creep!"

Silver pauses for a moment before replying dryly, "Humph… whatever… Tell me something. Is it true that Team Rocket has returned?"

I shift my hands to my hips in annoyance. "Huh, way to change the subject, but, yeah, those sleazeballs were in Slowpoke Well cutting off Slowpoke Tails to sell! So the Team and I creamed Proton and his crew—"

Silver interrupts me boldly, "What? You beat them? Hah! Quit lying."

Narrowing my eyes in fury, I growl, "Believe me, Ginger Head Man, I kicked the crap out of Proton and his team. Hell, I even broke that fucker's nose!"

"Are you serious? Then let's see how good you are," he says as he pulls a Poké Ball from his belt, summoning his Gastly to battle.

"Well, Dusk, I guess we're doing this! Use Confuse Ray!"

"Gastly, dodge it and use Lick!"

Dusk's Confuse Ray hits Gastly first, and he's having a hard time figuring out what to do. After a second, he hurts himself in his confusion. His HP reduces by a fifth.

"Gastly, you waste of space, use Curse!"

Dusk's HP reduces by a fourth due to the Curse. I gasp not only at the use of the move, but at Silver's horrible insult towards his Gastly. It's lost more than half it's HP in that one move alone!

"You know, insulting him probably isn't going to make him any less confused!"

"Shut up, brat," Silver snarls in reply, "Gastly, use Lick, NOW!"

"Dusk, dodge it and use Astonish!"

Gastly manages to see through his confusion, and he licks Dusk straight on the face. Gross! And, unfortunately, super effective. Dusk's HP goes down by a third. Lick also has the unfortunate side effect of inflicting paralysis half the time, and Dusk got the wrong half.

Dusk twitches due to the paralysis, but she still goes in for an Astonish. Silver and Gastly weren't expecting her to be able to attack, so Gastly has no choice but to watch as Dusk makes the finishing move. Gastly faints.

"Return," Silver says stonily. I sigh to myself in relief; I'm glad that he didn't verbally abuse his Pokémon this time.

Silver sends out a Level 16 Zubat to battle next. I recall poor paralyzed Dusk, and I send out Spirit, my confusion-dodging expert. Silver makes the most predictable move ever,

"Zubat, use Supersonic!"

"Spirit, dodge it and use Faint Attack!"

Spirit soars like a bullet in the air, getting far enough away that Zubat's Supersonic doesn't hit her. Then, she disappears into her black cloud, and reappears behind Zubat, striking him powerfully. The hit lowers Zubat's HP down to a little less than half.

"Zubat, use Leech Life!"

"Spirit, finish Zubat off with your Wing Attack!"

Zubat and Spirit dash towards each other, each trying to make a hit that will make the other faint. I see a sparkle in Spirit's eye, and I know she's up to something. As soon as Zubat comes within range of her, Spirit bitch slaps him down to the ground with her Wing Attack. Am I surprised? No. Am I proud? Hell yes.

Silver growls menacingly as he recalls his fainted Zubat, "Say, you've got a lot of nerve, coming here..."

I glare at him and respond, "And you've got a lot of nerve saying that when you've been the one spying on us!"

Silver looks like he wants to commit my murder, but he sends his massive Level 18 Croconaw out to take his anger out on my Pokémon instead.

Spirit did an awesome job taking out Zubat, but she's tired, so I recall her. Despite being under-leveled, I decide that Forest is the best one for this job.

"Croconaw, use Bite," Silver bellows.

"Forest, dodge it and use Sleep Powder!"

Croconaw is too fast, and he bites Forest on his leafy arm. It reduces his HP by a little less than half. Thankfully, this puts him in range so Forest can use Sleep Powder. It hits Croconaw, who quickly dozes off.

"Get up, Croconaw! This is no time for sleeping!"

"Now, Forest, you got this! Use Wrap!"

Croconaw stays asleep, to Silver's frustration. Forest extends his vines to wrap tightly around Croconaw, slowly squeezing him for a small amount of damage. It also reduces his HP again due to Wrap damaging him for 2-5 turns.

"Croconaw! Come on, open your damn eyes!"

Croconaw still won't wake up, and I'm just wondering whether Silver forgot to buy any Awakenings. Hey, it's working to my advantage.

"Now, Forest, use Vine Whip!"

Forest uses the vines he has wrapped around Croconaw to lash at him violently. It's a super effective move, and it reduces Croconaw's HP to a third. Then, another round of Wrap reduces it to a fourth.

"That's ridiculous! There's no way I could lose to a wimp like you," Silver starts to lose his composure, "CROCONAW, WAKE UP AND USE BITE!"

Croconaw finally awakens, and is quite displeased to find Forest squeezing his vines around him. Croconaw starts struggling to wriggle out of Forest's hold, because he can't bite something that's wrapped around him.

Forest inflicts one more round of Wrap damage to Croconaw before he gets thrown off by the overgrown croc.

"Croconaw, use Bite one more time!"

I am surprised by Croconaw's speed as he charges Forest. To my horror, he picks up Forest's already bitten arm in his mouth, and dangles Forest from his mouth. It reduces his HP to almost none.

"FOREST! ARE YOU OKAY?!"

"This battle is over," Silver states arrogantly. I narrow my eyes in disbelief, and reply,

"Not quite yet, Ginger Head Man! Forest, you can do it! Use Vine Whip on his face with your other arm!"

Forest musters up all the strength he has in order to reach up and whip Croconaw directly in the eye. The super effective hit causes Croconaw to collapse on the ground, fainted.

"Forest grew to Level 15. Forest can learn the move PoisonPowder. Did you want to replace a move with PoisonPowder?

'Yes, I'll replace Growth with PoisonPowder,' Forest replies weakly.

"Forest forgot Growth, and Forest learned PoisonPowder!"

Forest is able to lift his injured arm out of Croconaw's mouth, and I hope there isn't lasting damage. My Team will definitely need another round at the Pokémon Center after this.

Silver recalls his fallen Croconaw while saying grudgingly, "...Humph! Useless Pokémon! Listen, you. You only won because my Pokémon were weak."

Yeah, I don't believe it. Silver's just trying to blame his shortcomings on his Pokémon.

"Yeah, right. Your Pokémon are fine. You're the only one on your team that's weak."

Silver's eyes bore into me with hatred at my statement, and out of the corner of my eye, I see him pulling something out of his pocket. Probably his knife…?!

I hastily pull Grandpa Pete's pocket knife out of my bag. But before I can take a fighting stance, Silver notices my knife and rolls his eyes. Then, out of nowhere, he pockets his knife. I'm so confused. Wasn't he about to stab me?

"I hate the weak. Pokémon, Trainers. It doesn't matter who or what. I hate to see them hanging around. That goes for Team Rocket, too. They think they are big and tough as long as they are in a group. But get them alone, and they're weak. I hate them all."

He stares boldly at me again. "Stay out of my way. You won't be an exception if you get in my way."

He then stalks his way into Ilex Forest, disappearing into the green of the woods.

'That guy is worse than Quinn,' I hear Forest mutter weakly from behind me.

"Forest, you okay, bud? We need to get you to the Pokémon Center. You fought a rough battle, and I'm worried about your arm. Do you want to go in your Poké Ball, or would you rather have me carry you?"

'Could you carry me? I'd like to talk to you on the way there,' He requests.

"Sure," I confirm as I carefully cradle him in my arms so I don't crush his injury as we start walking to the Pokémon Center. For a few seconds, there is silence, so I break it by asking,

"So what did you want to talk about?"

'That Silver guy… he reminds me so much of Quinn… the thirst for power… the complete unrealistic expectations of his Pokémon… the loneliness. It's bringing back some old memories...' Forest trails off, closing his eyes.

"Silver has a pretty tragic backstory, Forest. His mom died when he was a toddler, and his dad abandoned him when he was nine. I can see where a lot of his hatred comes from."

'He's also like Quinn in that he hates anything and everything that he perceives as weak. But that's where his weakness lies. There is potential in everything if you work hard towards it.'

"You and the rest of the Team are evidence of that. But, if you ask me, I think Silver has something going on that he hasn't told any of us about. I'm wondering if it's something really bad for him to want to hide it so much," I speculate.

'He seems very secretive as a person, which Quinn wasn't as much. Quinn let everything hang out in the open.'

"Yeah, and normally I wouldn't care about a random part of somebody's life like this, either. But Silver's interesting. He's been in the woods, spying on us, and I want to know why. And I also want to know what he's been hiding from me, JC, and JP."

'That's for him to know, and for us to hopefully to find out,' Forest says after a comfortable silence. I notice that we've finally made it to the Pokémon Center. I was so distracted by the conversation that if you told me I had flown there, I would've believed you.

As Forest and I go inside to heal the Team, I only have one thought clouding my mind,

"What are you hiding from us, Silver?"


	15. Strangers That Seem To Know Me

With the Team healed, we can finally head out to Ilex Forest. Dusk, Spirit, and Forest are healed, but still tired, so I switch Zellie to the front of the party instead. She jumps out of her Poké Ball, and grins at me, eager for training.

"You excited to go through Ilex Forest and train," I question her as we start walking towards the gate.

'Yeah! I just hope I don't get poisoned again,' Zellie mutters sheepishly.

"Hey, poison happens, and if it happens again, we have Antidotes. You'll be fine.'

Zellie's face relaxes, and she whips her tails around my legs in relief. I give her lots of head scritches before we finally head out.

I decide not to use a Repel as we go so that Zellie can train by battling the local Pokémon.

The first wild Pokémon we come across is a Weedle, no surprise. These Pokémon are surprisingly weak compared to what we fought in Azalea Gym, so I don't think Zellie will have any problems defeating them.

Zellie one-shots the Level 6 Weedle with her Water Gun attack. She then proceeds to do the same to another Weedle and a Zubat. But these Pokémon are too weak to actually level Zellie up. Unless we beat a lot of them. Game on.

We walk up to a slight clearing, and we can see a beautiful wooden shrine with a red roof up ahead. The only problem is that this tiny, annoying tree is blocking our way. I remember something Bugsy told me back after we beat him,

"Do you know the benefits of the Hive Badge? If you have it, Pokémon up to Level 30 will obey you, even traded ones. Pokémon that know Cut will be able to use it outside of battle, too."

So I have the gym badge, but I don't have Cut, aka HM01. So I guess we're not going this way.

Zellie and I spot a path to the right, and then we spot an athletic looking young guy in his late teens/early twenties further along the path. He seems to be worried about something down further ahead. Since he has his back turned to us, I go up and tap him on the shoulder.

"Ah!" He spins around quickly, startled by my tap. I hold my hands up in surrender, letting him know I'm not here to hurt him.

"Sorry, but I noticed you were looking a little stressed out, and Zellie and I were wondering what's going on?"

"My dad's going to kill me! His precious wood-cutting Farfetch'd ran off into the forest. And I don't have enough gym badges for them to want to listen to me. Could you possibly go find them for me? I'll give you something good if you do."

I think about his proposal for a sec, and then reply, "Sure, why not. I'll help you out, you'll give me something nice… It's a win win!"

"Oh my Arceus, thank you! My dad is a scary guy when he's mad, so you're really helping me out!"

"Yeah, it's no problem," I respond, and I can't help but think about my dad, who I never knew past the age of four, "My Gran was mean enough for both parents. I get it."

"Okay, so, there are two Farfetch'd. The only way to catch them is to sneak up on them from behind. I've tried luring them to different parts of the forest, but they always run away from me. But if you want to grab their attention, try stepping on some sticks. That'll make them notice you!"

"Sweet! Thanks for the advice! Zellie and I will try our best," I say as we walk further down the path.

I see a large mossy rock ahead, and next to that, a large pile of sticks, just like what he'd said. We turn to the left, and behind another mossy boulder is the first Farfetch'd. It's not looking over towards us, but when I step on the sticks, it turns to face our direction.

I notice another pile of sticks directly to the right of the second mossy boulder. Since the Farfetch'd is looking down towards us, I decide to sneak to the right, purposely passing the second pile of sticks.

Zellie and I walk up, to the left, and down in a circle, not making any noise so it doesn't notice us. Sneaking up behind the first Farfetch'd, I hastily scoop him up in my arms, and carry him kicking and squealing to the guy.

"You got the first one," he exclaims in delight, "Thank you! Now, I think the second one wandered a little deeper in the forest. It might be a little bit more of a challenge to sneak up on him."

"Not a problem, we should be back soon."

Zellie and I walk down the path again, but instead of going up past the two boulders, we venture further right down the path.

We come up to a split path. There are two mossy boulders on the left, and one on the right. Something out of the corner of my right eye sparkles, so we walk over there.

To my surprise, there is a small yellow diamond shaped item that I recognize as a Revive on the ground. I pick it up and put it in my bag. That will definitely come in handy for the next Gym Battle. I'm especially grateful for it since the Poké Marts don't seem to sell them until you get a certain amount of Gym Badges.

The rest of the right path is a dead end, so we walk over to the left. Walking past the two boulders on the left, we notice that there are three choices to go: left, middle, and right. I decide on left.

Zellie and I walk up through the left path, spotting the second Farfetch'd at the end of it. As soon as we get close enough to catch it, it spots us, and runs to the right. It hides it a small crook between three trees, staring at us.

I notice a path going up to the left of the second Farftech'd. There are two piles of sticks that Zellie and I have to step on to go through the path. The loud noises startle the Farfetch'd again, and he turns to stare through the trees at us.

The path curves to the right, and when we venture that way, Zellie and I notice another pile of sticks. We purposely stomp on them loudly, turning the Farfetch'd's attention towards us again. I'm thinking that if Zellie and I can silently go back the same way we came, we could sneak up on the Farfetch'd.

I decide to test this out, Zellie following inaudibly behind me. We go back the way we came, deliberately avoiding all piles of sticks. When we round the corner, the Farfetch'd is still turned towards where it heard us before. Zellie and I make our move.

"Farfetch'd!" He shouts as I wrap my arms around him. He tries to struggle out of my grip, but I manage not to budge long enough to deliver him to the Charcoal Guy's son.

"You found the other one," he says delightedly as I place the Farfetch'd next to him on the ground, "Now my dad's not going to kill me! Than you so much Miss—"

"The name's Calypso," I interrupt him, "and like I said, no problem. I get the angry parent thing. Anyway, what was that thing you were going to give me?"

He goes to speak, but is cut off by a shout in the distance. Suddenly, a middle-aged man comes running up to us. By his features, I can tell that this is the father that this guy was worried about.

"Son! What happened? I sent you in here over a half hour ago to cut down wood for Charcoal! It doesn't take more than a few minutes to cut down."

The son bows his head down sheepishly. "Sorry, Dad, the Farfetch'd ran away from me again because I don't have any Gym badges."

The father looks down at both Farfetch'd, and starts, "Well, both Far and Fetch'd look okay," he says as he turns towards me, "and you're the one who found them? Without them, we wouldn't be able to cut trees for Charcoal. Thanks, kid!"

"Hey, it's no problem," I reply, silently hoping that the son will keep his part of the deal.

"Now, how can I thank you? I know! Here, take this," the father says as he pulls out what look like a Technical Machine out of his pocket and hands it to me.

"That's the HM Cut. Teach that to a Pokémon to clear small trees. Of course you have to have the Gym Badge from Azalea to use it."

I beam happily at his gift. "Thank you so much! My team and I just came from challenging the Azalea Gym. We needed this to get through the forest and up to Goldenrod City."

"I'm glad we were about to help each other out! Hey, if you're even in Azalea Tow again, check out my son and I's Charcoal shop! It's the house directly to the right of the Gym," he finishes before walking back towards Azalea Town, his son following behind him.

Zellie has been oddly quiet during this whole exchange. I look down towards her, and I can tell she's been day-dreaming. I gently tap her on her shoulder, and she comes to.

I decide that Forest is the best Pokémon to teach HM01 Cut to. He decides to replace Wrap with Cut.

"Hey, now that we have Cut, we can make it past that one tree before the shrine. Follow me!"

Zellie and I hustle towards the irritatingly tiny tree. I let Forest strut his stuff. "Forest, use Cut!"

Forest looks at the tree sharply before completely obliterating it with his right vine.

"Yay, thank you, Forest! Did you want to stay out and train with Zellie, or did you want to rest in your Poké Ball for now?"

'I think I'll stay and train with you and Zellie, I suppose. I should keep my vines moving in order to heal from when that overgrown crocodile nearly

ripped off my left appendage.'

"All right, you guys, follow me," I direct Zellie and Forest, who follow behind me as we step over the sad tiny fallen tree.

We walk up to the beautifully painted Forest Guardian Shrine. Its red roof glistens brilliantly as we approach it. I can tell that there's definitely something special about the Shrine. Something magical.

Randomly getting an act of inspiration, I kneel before the Shrine, and put my hands together in front of my face in a prayerful stance before closing my eyes.

"Dear Forest Guardian, this is Calypso. Uh, Calypso Aspen Primrose, actually. Please help to protect my Team and I as we travel through Ilex Forest. Please keep Gran away from us at all times, keep Professor Elm, JC, JP, and PG safe, and… and please help Silver. Tell him it's okay to be kind to his Pokémon. He'll be a better trainer and a better person if he can do it. So... If you're out there, and you hear me, thank you."

I can feel a cool breeze directly on my back, and as quickly as it appears, it dissipates into nothingness. I open my eyes, and look to Forest and Zellie, who are on either side of me. Both of them have their eyes closed, apparently caught in the moment just as much as I was. I quietly murmur their names to catch their attention, before beckoning them forward to start walking with me.

"So that breeze that happened after I prayed to the shrine… You guys think that was the Forest Guardian, answering me?"

'Hey, it's possible,' Forest starts, "Who's to say the Forest Guardian isn't here listening to us right now?'

Zellie intercepts, 'Who's to say the Forest Guardian isn't a Pokémon like you and me, Forest?'

"Hey, good thought, Zellie! Whatever it was I prayed to, it was strong enough to send a gentle breeze towards me," I finish.

We walk up to a Trainer's Tips Sign. It's warning us that the forest is extremely overgrown and to watch out for dropped items on the ground. Hey, finders keepers.

We stroll the past the sign, only to see a small pond separating us from the checkpoint between Ilex Forest and Route 34. None of my Pokémon know Surf, and there's no way I'm risking our lives swimming across it. So it's to the right we go.

There's a path that goes directly to my right, but it looks to be a dead end. I go to turn around at the end, when I almost twist my ankle tripping on something.

"Motherfucker," I howl as I hold my ankle in pain. I look down, and there's an X Attack on the ground. They weren't kidding when said everyone is dropping their shit.

I go to the southwest little corner of the pond to gauge how far we're going to have to walk to get to the checkpoint. When I near the edge, I almost fall in tripping on something. I look down at my feet only to see an Antidote that someone must have dropped. It almost killed me, so it's mine now.

I hear Forest and Zellie trying to hide their giggles from behind me. Their lovely trainer has already almost killed herself tripping over two items dropped in under five minutes. I can see what they're laughing about.

"I'm glad you two care about me dying so much," I say sarcastically. This does nothing to stop them from laughing at me. Oh well, at least Silver didn't see it.

We walk further to the right, where we see a path blocked by an unclimbable ledge. I can see the outline of a man beyond the ledge. At first, I decide to walk away, but then I hear a large booming noise come from that area. He piques my curiosity, but I'd have to walk completely around to go talk to him.

We walk back to the path, and go further down before having to turn to the left. We see more ledges ahead, but with an open split in the middle. I realize that this is the path that leads to the Route 34 checkpoint.

I can see a brightly dressed person up ahead, but that one guy from before is still on my mind. I decide to go further right along the same path I'm on, until I have to turn steadily down and to the right.

I hear the booming again, so I know I'm getting close. We round the corner, and see a smartly dressed man… head butting a tree?!

"Umm, Sir, are you okay? Is your head okay from doing that," I ask in concern.

The man laughs. "I'm alright, I was just head butting the tree to find wild Pokémon, like I taught my Pokémon how to do. I can teach your Pokémon to learn the move Headbutt too, if you want."

I think about it for a second. It would be cool to be able to find Pokémon in trees with it. And when I read about it in PG's book of Pokémon Moves, I learned that it has a Power of 70, and it can make opponents flinch. So why not?

"Yeah, let me grab Cyndi," I say as I release her from her Poké Ball.

"Hey, Cyndi, this guy wants to teach you the move Headbutt because it's awesome. Which move did you want to get rid of?"

'I'll get rid of Smokescreen so I can learn Headbutt," Cyndi replies, before going back into her Poké Ball because she's tired.

"Sweet! Glad I was able to teach you that. If you ever want me to teach another Pokémon Headbutt, you come find me. I'll be here," The man says, satisfied with his work. I thank him before we jump off the ledge on our left.

We continue up the path to the checkpoint until we see that smartly dressed stranger again, this time standing closer to the gap between the two ledges.

I recognize the person as a Kimono Girl of Ecruteak City! Like my mom!

"Kimono Girl, Kimono Girl, lost and all alone. Poor girl lost in the dark Ilex Forest," she says pathetically.

"Hey," I speak up, "I can help you get out of the forest!"

She turns around to face me, and I recognize her as Naoko, one of my mom's coworkers at the Dance Theater.

She stops to stare at me for a second, almost as if she knows who I am.

"I feel like I have met you before… Anyway, will you show me how to get out of this forest?"

"Yeah," I say as I try to go past to lead her on the right path. However, the terrain is not my friend, and I trip and fall face first on the ground. Oww.

"Wait, aren't you lost in the forest as well? How do you know how to get out of here," Naoko asks as she helps me up. I'm about to answer her, when Zellie and Forest continue further on down the path, and are gesturing for us to follow.

"Wow, are you going to show me how to get out? You are such smart Pokémon," Naoko exclaims as we follow Zellie and Forest to the checkpoint. We finally make it there, where Naoko says a brisk goodbye before almost sprinting off through the checkpoint. So weird. I'll have to figure out what's going on when I finally get to Ecruteak City.

Zellie, Forest, and I all walk through the checkpoint, and into Route 34. The first thing I notice when we arrive is the blinding sunshine that makes it so different from the dark Ilex Forest.

A youngster spots us as soon as we walk away from the checkpoint doors. "Hey, stop, I wanna battle you!"

"Hey, why not, kid? I need some training before I challenge the Goldenrod Gym," I accept.

Youngster Samuel has four Pokémon. First he sends out a Level 7 Rattata.

Zellie has no problem taking it out with her Water Gun + Sonicboom combo. She also slaughters his two Level 8 Spearows with the same combo.

"Zellie grew to Level 12!" The Pokédex congratulates her.

Youngster Samuel is not having a good time out here right now. He has one Pokémon left that can battle, and his team hasn't even been able to touch Zellie with any moves.

His last and strongest Pokémon is a Level 10 Sandshrew. Zellie is tired, so Forest decides to have a go at battling in her place.

"Sandshrew, use Sand Attack," Samuel directs.

"Forest, dodge it and use PoisonPowder!"

Sandshrew has the speed advantage, so he reduces Forest's accuracy with a well-aimed Sand Attack. In response with getting hit with sand in the face, Forest sneezes a large cloud of PoisonPowder towards Sandshrew, poisoning him on contact.

The Sandshrew's HP reduces by a bit from being poisoned. Youngster Samuel is looking really panicked now, like he's struggling to find the courage to move on. But he still calls out a command,

"Sandshrew, use Poison Sting!"

Sandshrew once again uses its superior speed stat to move faster than Forest, hitting him with a Poison Sting. It doesn't do the amount of damage Samuel thought it would to Forest because he's not just a Grass type; He's also a Poison type, making him immune to being poisoned as well.

"Now, Forest, close this battle out with your Vine Whip!"

Forest dashes towards Sandshrew, his left vine about to strike. He hits Sandshrew straight on the belly, the Super Effective hit knocking him out.

This is the first time that Forest has used his left vine in battle since the Croconaw incident. Azalea Town Nurse Joy did a really good job at fixing him up.

"I can't believe you beat me so easily," Youngster Samuel exclaims in shock before giving me my battle winnings of 128.

We continue to walk along the road until we get stopped by PokéFan Brandon. He and his two Pokémon want a battle. So Forest and I give it to him.

He has a Snubbull and a Mareep, both Level 13.

Snubbull tries to reduce Forest's Attack stat with Charm. Forest isn't falling for it, and to prevent her from doing it again, he uses Sleep Powder on her.

PokéFan Brandon is trying to call out commands, but Snubbull is way too deep in sleep to hear him.

"Forest, use Vine Whip on Snubbull!"

Forest takes advantage of Snubbull's status problem and lashes her several times with Vine Whip before she wakes up. Her HP reduces to less than a fourth.

"Snubbull, use your Tackle attack!"

Snubbull charges Forest, and knocks him back with her forehead. The hit reduces his HP by a third.

"Forest, use Vine Whip one more time," I bellow, hoping to end the battle. Forest manages to hit her with enough force to knock her out.

PokéFan Brandon recalls Snubbull, and then sends out his last Pokémon, Mareep.

I went to recall Forest because of how hurt he is, but he's being stubborn, and wants to battle still. It's not like anything I say is going to convince him otherwise, so I let him do his thing.

"Mareep, use Thundershock," Brandon calls out.

"Forest, dodge it and use Vine Whip," I retort.

Mareep's Thundershock hits Forest dead on, but it doesn't do much damage because it's not very effective. Unfortunately for us, it also paralyzes Forest.

Despite having his speed reduced and only being able to move 25% of the time, Forest manages to hit Mareep with his Vine Whip. It reduces his HP to a little less than half.

"Mareep, use your Tackle Attack!" Mareep charges Forest with a surprising amount of speed, almost flattening him in the process. It reduces his HP to a third. I know we need to get this battle done soon, or Forest's in trouble.

"Come on, Forest, you can do this! Use Vine Whip one more time!"

"Mareep, you can take it out with your Tackle Attack!"

Mareep starts scarily charging Forest again, and I make an instant decision to save the battle.

"Forest, stop Mareep in his tracks with your Vine Whip, and throw him!"

To the Mareep's surprise, Forest gathers enough strength to extend his vines out, and pluck Mareep off the ground. In one fluid movement, he throws Mareep into the grass, knocking him out instantly.

Forest fought the hard fight, and now he's paralyzed and only has only a third of his health left. At least PokéFan Brandon gave us 832, more than enough to buy a Parylz Heal and two Potions.

I recall a stubborn Forest back into his Poké Ball to rest. Then, I let out Cyndi, the only one who isn't tired or injured at this point.

Cyndi and I keep walking on the road, when a Picknicker notices us walking.

"Hey, I'm challenging the Goldenrod Gym, and I need a practice partner! Will you help me out?"

So Cyndi and I take on Picknicker Gina. It takes less than five minutes for Cyndi to incinerate all three of her Pokémon, which include two Level 9 Hoppips and a Level 12 Bulbasaur.

"You're way too strong for a practice partner… But do you wanna maybe call me if you wanna battle again?"

"Hey, why not, I think your Bulbasaur is pretty cool anyways."

So Gina and I register our numbers before Cyndi and I start walking again.

We get stopped by another Youngster, this one claiming to be the best in his class. Youngster Ian only has two Pokémon, so I find this to be unlikely. Let's see if he can prove me wrong.

First he sends out a Level 10 Mankey. I figure Cyndi can take it out in one hit.

"Cyndi, use Flame Wheel to end this battle before it starts!"

Cyndi starts charging towards Mankey, rolling into a flame covered wheel.

"Mankey, back flip to avoid it, and then use Low Kick!"

To my intense surprise, Mankey back flips completely over Cyndi. He then proceeds to use Low Kick to trip Cyndi, sending her flying into the nearby wall for a fourth of her HP in damage.

"Okay, so maybe I underestimated you. Cyndi, gain some ground speed by using Quick Attack!"

Cyndi recovers quickly, and starts dashing around Mankey. She runs around him in a circle, making him dizzy before delivering the attack itself. It reduces his HP to a fourth.

"Mankey, she's close by! Use your Scratch attack!"

Mankey manages to orient himself enough to scratch Cyndi on the shoulder, but it was a passing slash, and only does a bit of damage.

"Cyndi, finish it out with Ember, close range!"

Cyndi quick shoots out a small fire ball into the Mankey's face, making it faint.

Youngster Ian recalls Mankey, replacing him with his other Pokémon, a Level 12 Diglett.

"Cyndi, make it quick with your Flame Wheel," I start the battle.

"Diglett, stop it with your Magnitude!"

Diglett makes the ground shake massively, causing Cyndi to bounce up and down in wheel-form, and for me to almost fall over. If I could guess, I'd say that was either an 8 or a 9 Magnitude.

Since it's a Ground type move from a Ground type Pokémon, it hits Cyndi extra hard. She loses half her HP in one attack.

"Come on, Cyndi, you got this! Use Headbutt, then slam him down with Flame Wheel when he flinches!"

Cyndi quickly charges Diglett, headbutting him in the forehead. It reduces his HP to a third. Luckily for her, he flinches, prompting her to start charging her Flame Wheel. By the time he realizes what's going on, she's on top of him, flattening his tiny little body. The hit makes him faint.

"Oh no! Being the best in my class means nothing in real life," Youngster Ian cries out. He starts to cry, and I can't help but feel awkward at this point.

"Hey, kid, don't cry. I've been training for a little bit too, and I think you did really well. Keep training at school and at home, and call me when you get stronger, okay?"

Youngster Ian stops crying, but I can still hear him sniffling. I can't believe I actually feel bad for the poor kid.

"Okay," he says as we register numbers. I give him a supportive clap on the shoulder before Cyndi and I head on our way.

Cyndi and I see the first glimpse of a large building. We go to walk further towards it, when we hear a loud voice behind us.

"Hey! Hey, wait up!"

We turn around, and a girl around my age runs up to me. I don't think I've ever seen her before. She has two long chestnut brown pigtails hanging from the inside of her big white hat. She's also wearing a long sleeve t-shirt, overalls, and knee high socks. Also, she has an adorable little Marill is following behind her. I think I would have remembered her if I had met her.

"Man, you're fast, Calypso! It's no wonder I couldn't catch up to you in New Bark Town or Route 29," she says tiredly as she breathes loudly.

My eyebrows twitch in curiosity. "You were looking for me? Why?"

"I'm Lyra! Professor Elm sent me to watch over you, and guide you on your journey. I was supposed to tell you how to catch Pokémon back in Route 29, but you were already gone by then!"

I shift my arms to my hips in annoyance. "Why did Professor Elm send you to look after me? I'm perfectly capable on my own."

"Hey, it's not about you not being an adult, it's about Professor Elm caring enough about you that he wants to make sure you stay safe. I know you have your crazy grandma after you, so I just wanted to make sure you're okay."

"Wait," I say confusedly, "You and Professor Elm know that she's crazy? I thought everyone still thought I was the criminal?"

Lyra shakes her head. "No, ever since this article came out in the Johto Journal," she holds up a magazine with Gran's deranged face on the cover, "We've all known the truth."

She hands the magazine to me to read. The paragraph underneath her hag face reads,

"Cianwood Grandmother and former Goldenrod Prosecutor accused of child abuse! Bloody belt found in closet of Cianwood resident, Ruth Marken! Police suspect this is why her grand daughter, Calypso Aspen Primrose, stole all her money, destroyed her home, and ran off. The Medicine Guru of Cianwood says the woman is indeed insane; He says he helped to free the young seventeen year old from her evil clutches.

The Johto Police Department were first prompted to search Marken's home after claims of domestic abuse came from the 17 year old runaway granddaughter, Calypso. They searched the 62 year old's home, and found an old bloody belt in one of her closets. They went to arrest the 62 year old, but she used her Lv 41 Dragonair, Fafnir, to escape. Ruth Marken is still currently on the run from Police. If anyone sees this woman, PLEASE REPORT IT TO POLICE IMMEDIATELY! Do not try to capture her yourself! She is a very capable trainer and fighter. Police say there are several other witnesses who can testify to Marken's abuse claims."

Reading that article almost makes my face go numb. Everyone knows that she's the crazy one? And not me? Everyone in Johto?!

"Hey, come with me. This is my Grandparent's Day Care. We can stay here for a bit so you can get some rest, and hide out from your grandma," Lyra says as she takes me by the hand.

"Hi, Grandpa," Lyra says as she walks up to the older man in front of the Day-Care. She looks over to the side yard where a Pokémon is playing in the grass.

"Good work, Grandpa, the Pokémon you raised for me has been healthy as can be! You look fit, too!"

Lyra and her grandpa have a quick chat before she pulls me up by my wrist to stand directly beside her.

"Hey, Grandpa, let me introduce you. This is Calypso. She's a Trainer and a friend of Professor Elm's. She seems to be getting better at raising Pokémon. Well, not as good as you, Grandpa, of course! Follow me, Calypso."

I shake her Grandpa's hand briefly with my left hand before Lyra pulls me inside the Day Care by my right.

Lyra pulls me to where her tiny Grandma in sitting behind the counter.

"Grandma, let me introduce my friend. This is Calypso. She's that friend of Professor Elm's that I told you and Grandpa about."

"Oh," her grandma says as she slowly sits up and studies me. "You're Calypso, Daniel and Akira's daughter? And Pete's granddaughter?"

I smile in response to her purposely not referencing Gran. Throwing all the shade here. I can tell that I'm going to like this woman.

"Yes," I reply pleasantly, "I'm Calypso Aspen Primrose. It's nice to meet you," I finish, shaking her tiny hand.

"Same to you, Calypso. I hope you take on the disposition of your Grandpa Pete rather than his wife."

I can't help but chuckle a bit, and reply laughing, "Don't worry, I follow after Pete."

Lyra taps on my shoulder to catch my attention, before saying, "Hey, so I know this is random, but do you wanna stay the night here with me tonight? You wouldn't have to pay for a hotel room, and my grandparents would let you stay in their guest room."

"Oh, no, I don't want to be a burden—" I start but her grandma cuts me off with a swift, "Nonsense!"

I look back to her, and she's stood up, standing at her full height of 5'. "Now we promised Lyra that we'd help look out after you, Calypso! Ruth knows she's not welcome here, and we promised Professor Elm that we'd keep you safe. So please at least stay the night, and rest in our safe haven."

I look between the stern stares of Lyra and her grandma. "I don't think I'm allowed to say no to this one," I speculate.

So, Lyra, her grandparents, and I all share a delicious dumpling soup that her grandma made. Lyra also makes sure that all of my Pokémon are fed and healed before we go to bed.

Showing me to the guest room, Lyra beckons me goodnight, and says one more message I find odd, "Don't worry, you're safe here."

Along with the shock of everyone knowing the truth about Gran, it just feels so odd to have so many people worried about my safety. So weird.

*Meanwhile, in the Goldenrod City Gym*

"And she s-stole my Misdreavus that my mom gave me for my 18th birthday," Monica cries to the pink haired pigtailed Goldenrod City Gym Leader, Whitney.

"Monica Blodvek, when you became a Gym Trainer in my Goldenrod Gym, you joined a family of sisters. Sisters who protect and support each other. And, as you know, I do not tolerate haters in my Gym," Whitney starts out after hearing Monica's story.

"I know she's doing the Gym challenge, and I don' want that freak coming back and stealing another one of my Pokémon!"

"Don't worry, Monica, if the person you described comes anywhere in the Gym, I will have her kicked out. I refuse to have haters challenging my Gym," Whitney says sympathetically.

"Thank you, Whitney! I just couldn't take it if my precious Honey Bear or Sapphire were stolen by that freak! She already took Jessica, and I just don't know what to do with myself."

"Don't worry, Moni, "Whitney comforts the freshly dyed blonde, "I'll take care of it."


	16. The Golden Adventure Part 1

I lie awake at night, thinking about all the people who care about me. It feels surreal. I went from having literally no one to count on to having an entire support group. Even people who I didn't know knew the truth were helping me out from behind the scenes.

I also think about all the elderly people I know who also hate Gran. Even before the article in Johto Journal was published. Apparently Gran used to be a famous prosecutor in the Goldenrod City Court. She was very well known for her corruption inside the Johto Judicial System. That made her a lot of powerful friends… along with some powerful enemies as well.

She has several friends within the JJS, including judges, attorneys, and other prosecutors. But thankfully, I have the Johto Police Department and most of Johto's media on my side. So I think it'll be interesting to see how this whole situation plays out.

The only problem I have is that the thought of Gran even near me at this point makes me want to vomit. How could I ever face her knowing that she knows what I did and that I turned her in, and how I feel about her? I think about the possibility of a court case… I guess I could stand being in the same room as her if it meant that she would get prison time. That would be my dream.

Speaking of dreams, I finally feel myself dozing off into what I hope is a good dream…

I wake up in the morning only to find Lyra's Marill bouncing up and down on my stomach. I giggle and scratch Marill behind the ears before she squeals adorably, jumping off the bed, and running out of the room.

"Marill? Marill, where are you," Lyra searches sleepily. She pokes her bed-head in the door, and mutters "Good Morning" to me before following the sounds of Marill's happy chatter to the kitchen.

I quietly chuckle at Lyra's obvious dislike of mornings. She was so chipper and high strung yesterday. Maybe she has to build up her peppiness over the day. It wouldn't surprise me. After all, she is just a human being like you and me.

It takes me ten minutes to get ready before I go out to the kitchen with a hungry Forest riding my left shoulder.

"Good morning, Calypso! I hope you're ready for breakfast," Lyra's grandma exclaims from in front of the stove.

Lyra's grandpa waves at us while he's setting the table, and he gestures Forest and I to sit down at the table, so we do.

"Marill, come on! Grandma made yummy breakfast, and you're too busy running all over the house to eat it," Lyra says from the hallway.

Marill squeals again, and finally comes waddling into the kitchen, an excited grin on her face. A fully dressed Lyra almost trips following her in, but like an automatic reflex, her grandma grabs her by the arm, and stops her from falling on her face.

"You are such a clumsy child," Lyra's grandma shakes her head, "Calypso, I hope you don't take after my granddaughter with her clumsiness. I don't know how she hasn't seriously injured herself while alone on her journey."

I sweat-drop a little bit, and respond rather sheepishly, "Unfortunately, I'll have to disappoint you on that one. I nearly killed myself twice yesterday tripping over dropped items in Ilex Forest."

"I think we found your twin, Lyra," Lyra's grandpa jokes as he dishes up bowls for all of us. Lyra finally slumps down in the seat next to me, looking slightly like a zombie. I look over to her in concern, but her grandma notices, and says,

"Don't worry about Lyra, dear. She's always a little slow-moving in the mornings. She'll be better after she eats. Anyway, I hope you enjoy breakfast. It's homemade grits sweetened with Combee honey."

Forest and I dig in, relishing the taste of the sweet honey. Between the two of us, we finish the whole bowl in under five minutes. We aren't the only ones to do so, however. Lyra and Marill are even faster than us, clearing their bowls in three minutes flat!

"Thanks for breakfast, Grandma," Lyra says as she washes our bowls and puts them in the drying rack, "I think I'm going to head out. See ya!"

She goes to leave before suddenly stopping, and running back. "Oh, I almost forgot! Here, this is my PokéGear number!"

We input our numbers into each other's PokéGears while Lyra's grandma sends us a mischievous little smirk from the kitchen. Lyra sees it and comments,

"Grandma! Don't you say anything. We are both Trainers, and we are supposed to exchange numbers. That's all."

Then she walks out the door with Marill following right behind her. I wave goodbye to her grandparents and thank them for letting me spend the night before I head out.

Ever since Forest fought and won against Silver's Croconaw, he's really been putting a lot more effort into his training. He requested to be put at the front of the party, and I'm not telling him no. If he wants to train, I'll let him. Besides, Spirit and Dusk hate the daylight, while Cyndi and Zellie are still sleeping in for the rest of the morning.

Forest and I continue up the road that leads to Goldenrod City. There's a cop in uniform on my right side, but he's ignoring Forest and I for some reason. Hey, I'm not complaining.

There's one last Trainer on this route we need to beat in order to get to Goldenrod City. A Camper is watching the end of the route from the far right side near the grass. He's probably watching for trainers to battle. Well, why don't Forest and I give him what he wants?

We walk within his sight, and he shouts, "Hey, I see you're a Trainer! Battle me before you go to Goldenrod City!"

"You're on, kid," I yell back before walking up closer to him. He introduces himself as Camper Todd before releasing his only Pokémon, a Level 14 Psyduck.

"Psyduck, use your Scratch attack," Camper Todd starts it out.

Psyduck dashes towards Forest, the claws on his tiny paws sharp and ready to do damage. I call out to Forest,

"Forest, dodge it and use PoisonPowder!"

Psyduck is faster, and he scratches Forest on the underside of his circular mouth for a fourth of his HP in damage. Psyduck doesn't move quickly enough to get away from Forest's PoisonPowder, however. He starts to steadily lose HP due to the poison.

"Forest, use your Vine Whip attack!" Forest charges towards Psyduck, vines outstretched. Psyduck tries to run away, but Forest catches Psyduck's left leg with his right vine. With great strength, Forest picks him up and throws him. Psyduck loses all but a little HP from the attack.

"Psyduck," Camper Todd yells out in worry, "Use Disable so Bellsprout can't use Vine Whip on you."

Psyduck snaps his tiny little fingers, and suddenly Forest is unable to use his Vine Whip attack. No problem for us though.

Psyduck loses more HP from another turn with poison. He has 2 HP left, so I decide to have Forest end it.

"Forest, take Psyduck out with your Cut attack!"

Psyduck is literally a sitting duck as Forest delivers the final blow.

"Forest grows to Level 16," The Pokédex congratulates Forest.

Camper Todd recalls Psyduck. He gives me 224 in winnings before offering me his number. Apparently, he knows all about when sales happen at the Goldenrod City Department Store. I'm always willing to save a Poké or two, so I gave him my number in return.

The first sight of Goldenrod City is… odd. Very odd. I know this is where a lot of the events leading up to Gran kidnapping me happened. I've also been forced to come here and follow her around while she shopped and visited her JJS friends in the past. So while I have a lot of painful memories related to this city, I can't help but feel satisfied at the fact that I'm exploring the city on my own terms this time.

I think Forest notices my anticipation. He wraps his two lower vines around my arm tightly, helping me to have enough courage to go into the city.

The first step is the worst. I'm almost blinded by the light reflecting off the golden roofs of the buildings. I don't know if that's a bad omen or what, but I'll have to shake it off for now.

I convince Forest that he should have a round at the Pokémon Center for the injuries he got from Todd's Psyduck. We get him healed before heading next door to the Goldenrod Department Store.

We walk in, the cool breeze of fans greeting us. The greeter at the counter also welcomes us in. I take note of the people around me. An older man on the left, and a mom and young son on the right. No one suspicious.

The first floor is only the lobby, so with Forest riding on my shoulder, we head up the escalator.

We get up to the second floor where we walk up to the vendor on the right. I sell the X Attack that I tripped on in Ilex Forest for 250. Then I buy enough Potions that I have 15, and enough Super Potions so I have 10. I also make sure I have 5 each of Parlyz Heal, Antidote, and Awakening, and 2 each of Burn Heal and Ice Heal.

I go to the other vendor on the left, and buy 20 Repels from him. Just in case I need to make a quick escape.

There's no one who gives me creeps on the second floor, so Forest and I head up to the third floor. They're selling in-battle supplements there, so Forest and I continue up to the fourth floor. That's where they sell permanent stat boosting drugs, but they're 9800 for just one of them, so I'm not buying.

The fifth floor sells TMs, but they're either defensive moves that I'm not a fan of, or vastly overpriced. So I'm going to skip on this floor too.

Forest and I finally head up to the sixth floor. When we get off the escalator, the two ladies behind the counter tell us about a drawing that they're doing. Pay only 300 to try, and win awesome prizes! I go ahead to try, and end up winning their #2 Prize of the Day, a Net Ball! I'm pretty sure Net Balls are usually 1000, so I saved 700!

I thank them before going over to the left side of the floor to grab a drink from the vending machine. I end up buying a Fresh Water for Forest while I drink a Soda Pop. We sit down at the table on the left to drink our beverages and talk.

Forest and I are having light, amicable conversation before I notice a pair of eyes staring at us from the table northeast of us.

A heavy set older lady is glaring at us. She's wearing a pink dress with a grey trench coat over it. She's also wear grey kitten heels and a dark blue shawl tied over her grey hair. When she turns to look at me again, I see familiar dark brown eyes boring into mine hatefully.

Instantly realizing who's staring at me, I look over to my two options: The escalator, or the elevator. She's blocking my path to both, so I think about the pros/cons of each.

I'm not quite sure whether the escalator is good option or not. I don't know if Gran has the stamina to chase me down five escalators without also looking crazy. But there's also the chance that she'll decide to use the elevator to chase me down anyway.

If I manage to get to the elevator in time before she does, I will definitely get to the ground floor faster so I can escape. But if she catches me to the elevator, I'm screwed.

I decide to make a run for the elevator. "Hold on," I whisper to Forest before I power-sprint to the elevator.

I can see Gran out of the corner of my eye following behind me, so I pick up my pace, and smash the elevator button a few times. The elevator opens right before I feel her acrylic nails on the back of my neck.

I rush in, and smash the "Close Door" button multiple times, almost crushing her hand between the door in the process. Hey, what do I care? She probably wants to kill me. "You ungrateful bitch of a granddaughter!" is the last thing I hear before the door finally closes on her.

I press the button that will take me to the ground floor. Thankfully, the elevator doesn't stop to let anyone on from the lower floors. She must be busting her ass on the escalators. Good.

My heart is racing a million miles a minute and my breathing is so heavy I feel like I'm gonna pass out. I take a few deep breaths to calm myself before Forest and I get to the lobby, where we have to make a run for it.

The elevators doors open, and there's no sign of Gran. I power-walk out the Department Store doors with Forest hanging on for dear life on my shoulder.

I power-walk up the road past the Pokémon Center, and I follow the path on the left-hand side between the Pokémon Center and the Game Corner. We jog past the house on the right, until we see an entrance for an underground tunnel.

"Goldenrod City Underpass Tunnel: Please do not ride your bike in the tunnel," The sign says on it. Hey, I figure the underpass is gonna be my best bet to hide out from Gran.

Forest and I duck into the underpass entrance, where we quickly run into another familiar face.

"Ahhhh," Lyra says as Forest and I nearly collide with her and Marill. We quickly brush ourselves off.

"You okay, Calypso," Lyra asks, "You seem like you're in quite a rush. What's going on?"

"I'm pretty sure I just saw Gran—I mean Ruth—on the top floor of the Department Store! She was staring at me while Forest and I were having drinks at a table up there, and she tried following me to the elevator, but I was too fast for her! So Forest and I ran here to get away!"

"You saw your crazy grandma? Calypso, you have to call the Johto Police Department right now! Maybe they'll be able to catch her," Lyra finishes.

I think about it for a sec. Why not call JP? I dial her number, and it rings a few times before the young Officer picks up the phone.

"Hello, Officer Jenny Paige speaking..."

"Hey, JP, it's Calypso. I wouldn't normally call you directly, but I just wanted to tell you that I spotted Gran in the Goldenrod City Department Store on the top floor. She tried to follow me downstairs, but I used the elevator and she used the escalators so I got out faster. Then I ran to the Goldenrod Underpass and called you."

"I'm glad you called, Calypso! Are you alone," JP asks.

"No, I'm with my friend, Lyra. We ran into each other in the Underpass."

"Okay, make sure you stay with your friend for a little bit. I'm going to call the Captain of the Goldenrod City Police Department and tell her what's going on. She'll send a party of officers to search the city. Once she tells me it's all clear, I'll call you back to let you know you're good," JP confirms with me.

"Okay, JP, thank you so much for helping me out with this. Seeing her since the incident was not something I was expecting, and I'm just glad I was able to get away," I sigh with relief.

"I'm glad too. I'll let you know when I find out what's going on," JP finishes before she hangs up.

"So we need to stick together until you get a call back from that Officer, right," Lyra asks after a second, "If you wanna battle the trainers down here, I'll heal your Pokémon afterward."

"Hey, why not. I need to train for the Goldenrod Gym Challenge anyway, and this is the perfect opportunity for me to do so," I say thoughtfully, "Thanks, Lyra."

Since we came from the bottom, the first trainer we come by is a Super Nerd. Super Nerd Eric has two Level 11 Grimers. I send out Dusk to take care of the Grimers, while Forest watches the battles from my shoulder. Dusk uses a combination of Confuse Ray and Psywave to take them out, with the second one actually making himself faint in confusion. He pays me 704.

Poké Maniac Issac sneaks up creepily on Lyra and I, inquiring for a battle. So Dusk and I give it to him and his Level 12 Lickitung.

Both of us try to use the same tactic,

"Dusk, use Confuse Ray!"

"Lickitung, use Supersonic!"

Dusk's attack is faster, and she confuses Lickitung. Lickitung's Supersonic misses because he's too confused to aim. He actually ends up hurting himself falling over for a fifth of his HP in damage.

"Come on, Lickitung, you got this! Use your Lick attack!"

"Dusk, use Psywave!"

Lickitung sees through his confusion, and he licks Dusk across the face for a third of her HP in damage. Thankfully, the super-effective attack doesn't paralyze her.

Dusk starts using us Psywave attack, the sonic wave hurting Poké Maniac Issac and his Lickitung's ears. It reduces Lickitung's HP to a little less than half. It also increases his level of confusion. He stumbles over again, hurting himself again in the process. It reduces his HP to a third.

"Lickitung, you've got to stay in it! Use Lick one more time!"

"Dusk, take it out with Psywave before he licks you!"

Dusk's Psywave is enough to knock Lickitung out before he can even get near her.

"Dusk grows to Level 18," The Pokédex announces.

Poké Maniac Issac recalls his Lickitung before paying me 768, and sauntering back into the darkness from which he came.

Lyra heals Dusk's HP before we walk further on. There are a couple of different shops down here, but only one of them is currently open. A young guy looking to be in his late teens or early twenties is occupying the middle storefront.

Lyra and I walk up to the storefront, and we finally realize what he's selling.

"Hi, I'm the younger of Haircut Brothers! I can spruce your Pokémon up for only 300! Do you want me to groom one of your Pokémon?"

I look to Forest and Dusk, who are both on my shoulders. "Do either of you guys need a haircut?"

Dusk says 'Nah', but Forest looks thoughtful.

'I have this extra leaf growing on the underside of my left vine from when it healed from Croconaw's Bite. It's so itchy and scratchy, and I've tried to remove it myself, but I can't rip it off without tearing open the scab from the wound. If he could just trim it, that would be amazing.'

I relay this to the younger Haircut Brother, who instantly understands, and gets to work. In about five minutes, the younger Haircut Brother completely trims off the leaf that's been bothering Forest so much. He looks so relieved.

"There, he's all done!" Forest climbs back over the counter as I pay him the 300+100 for tip.

Lyra and Marill are standing patiently behind us. I'm surprised she didn't want to get Marill groomed. But, hey, that's none of my business.

The next trainer we encounter is Super Nerd Teru. He has a whopping 4 Pokémon, the first being a Level 7 Magnemite.

Dusk isn't a good type match up, so I send out Cyndi to fry Teru's Magnemite with Ember, while Forest and Dusk cheer her on from my shoulders. Cyndi proceeds to KO his next two Pokémon, another Level 7 Magnemite, and then a Level 9 Magnemite.

His last Pokémon is a Level 11 Voltorb. I remember reading about Voltorb's Ability, Static, and how it paralyzes any Pokémon that comes into physical contact with it. So I'm hoping that a couple of Embers will take Voltorb out too.

"Cyndi, use your Ember attack, full strength!"

"Voltorb, dodge it and use Sonicboom!"

Cyndi quickly charges a fireball and shoots it at Voltorb, who is fast, but not fast enough to avoid Cyndi's Ember. It reduces his HP to a third.

Voltorb's Sonicboom hits Cyndi for a third of her HP in damage. Since Sonicboom does 20 HP of damage per attack, Cyndi can't withstand more than two Sonicbooms in one battle. We need to get this over with soon.

"Cyndi, use Ember again to get the job done!"

Cyndi is much faster than Voltorb, and she takes him out with her blue fireball. Super Nerd Teru looks like he's about to have a mental breakdown as he recalls Voltorb, and pays me 432.

Lyra heals Cyndi with a Potion before we head on further. There's a final trainer up ahead, but Lyra sees something to the right, and drags me by the wrist to go check it out.

There's a large space to the right, with a pink counter space against the far wall, and a space with a camera to take pictures with. Behind the counter, a large man dressed as a Hiker beckons us to him.

"Hello, ladies! I have created a space down here where you can dress up your Pokémon with accessories before taking an adorable picture with my camera! Would either of you like to try it? You need a Fashion Case to do so, however."

I shrug, "Well, I don't have a Fashion Case, so I'll have to say no—"

"Wait," Lyra interrupts me, "My mom bought one for me, but she actually grabbed two of them because they were on sale. She didn't need the other one, so I've been looking for someone to give it to. Here, it has the basic accessories that it came with."

Lyra hands me the extra Fashion Case, and I can't help but grin widely. "Hey, thanks! Now, who should I dress up…?"

Both Dusk and Forest are waving their heads, "No", so I'm guessing they're camera shy. Hmmm, who would be the most likely to want to get dressed up…?

I let out Zellie, whose been sleeping for the entire morning. She looks slightly disheveled, like she just woke up, but she still sends me a tiny grin when I let her out.

'What's going on,' she questions sleepily.

"Okay, so Lyra gave me this Fashion Case so I could dress up one of my Pokémon to take a picture. I thought you were the most likely to do it."

Zellie thinks about it for a second before quickly replying, "Hey, why not? It sounds fun.'

So Zellie and I go into the man's dress up room. I give Zellie a collar made of multicolored fluff, while also sticking a feather on each of her tails. Finally, I give her a pair of black sunglasses that I stole from Gran. She looks snazzy.

We come out from the dressing room, and the man asks me to pick a backdrop from my Fashion Case. I go to look at which ones the Fashion Case came with.

I find one labeled, "City at Night," and another labeled, "Outer Space." There's also one that's a striped Poké Ball pattern. I decide to go with the first one, the background fitting with Zellie's outfit.

"All right, if you've chosen your Accessories and your Backdrop, go ahead and stand in front of the camera," the Dress Up Man says.

Zellie walks up to stand against the backdrop, and proceeds to pose cooly.

"3, 2, 1, and… Shoot!" The Dress Up Man takes the picture. He then quickly prints it, to my surprise. Then he hands me a pen.

"Here, go ahead and name your picture, and I'll hang it up on the wall."

I think about it for a second before writing, "Snazzy Jazzy Zellie!"

I thank him and give him back the picture so he can put it on the wall. Zellie and Forest decide to go back into their Poké Balls so they can sleep some more.

I suddenly notice that Lyra and Marill are missing. They must be in the dressing room.

I decide to use my spare time defeating the last trainer, Poké Maniac Donald. He has two Pokémon, both Level 11 Slowpokes. Spirit, Dusk, and Forest all have type advantages, but the only one who hasn't battled today is Spirit. Plus, the Goldenrod Tunnel is very dimly lit, so Spirit shouldn't mind battling.

Spirit KOs both Slowpokes with her Faint Attack. She then joins Dusk by perching on my left shoulder (where Forest was) while Dusk floats by my right.

Poké Maniac Donald bitterly pays me 704.

We walk (float) back over to the Dress Up Area, where I see Lyra and Marill come out of the Dressing Room.

Marill is wearing a flower behind each ear, one yellow and the other red. She's also holding a leaf and a small pretty blue scale. The backdrop that they're using is a giant meadow.

"3, 2, 1, and… Shoot!"

Lyra signs her photo as "Epic Cuteness", and hands it back the the Dress Up Man.

"Okay, Marill and I are done! Did you want to go battle that last trainer now," she says as we walk away from the Dress Up Area.

"Actually, Spirit and I took care of him while you and Marill were dressing up. But you don't need to heal her or anything. That Poké Maniac wasn't even able to get a hit on Spirit," I comment dryly while we walk past Poké Maniac Donald, who glares at me.

"Wow, Calypso, you and your team are really getting stronger! Do you think you'll need anymore training before the Gym Battle," Lyra questions.

I go to answer her, but all of a sudden, my PokéGear rings. I look at it, and it's JP calling!

"Hey, JP, what's going on?"

"Hey, Calypso! Boy, do I have a juicy update for you," JP says excitedly.

"All right, JP, go ahead, I'm all ears."

"Okay, so the Goldenrod City Police Captain sent a party of officers to search the city. They searched the entire Department Store, and didn't find anything! But guess where they actually ended up finding her," she asks while giggling.

"Let me guess, the courthouse," I ask dryly.

"Actually, no, they found her in the Game Corner, playing Voltorb Flip! She was on level 7 before the Police Squad interrupted her. How crazy is that?!"

"Actually, that makes a lot of sense. I always suspected Gran of having a gambling problem. She would always come out to Goldenrod, and when she'd get back, she'd get drunk and accuse me of stealing money out of her wallet. It was actually her coming to the Game Corner and losing mass amounts of money gambling. Then, to lessen her guilt, she'd get drunk, and convince herself that I stole the money, instead of owning up to the fact that she has a problem. Several problems, actually."

"Well, and think about all the money she put down to get to Level 7, and then to lose all of that! She does have a serious problem," JP exclaims.

"Well, she's probably the biggest reason the Game Corner is still in business, anyway," I remark sarcastically, "But you said they caught her, right?"

"Yeah, they got her. She was so engrossed in Voltorb Flip, they arrested her before she could even take out any of her Pokémon. She's currently in the Goldenrod City Jail, but she should be transferred to the Indigo League Prison between Johto and Kanto sometime within the next few days."

"Yes! Yes! She's in jail! Arceus, yes," I cheer loudly.

JP and Lyra both congratulate me, but I notice that PokéManiac Donald is still glaring over here. What a sore loser. I stare back at him, giving him my death glare. He can't hold for as long as I can, and he breaks, looking away.

Silver would be proud… but why do I care about what Silver would think? Ugh. I gotta quit thinking about that Ginger Head Man…

"Yeah, and her bail is set for 75,000! That's a huge amount of money to pay down to be able to get out of jail," JP states.

"Yeah, and plus, I stole most of her life savings when I ran away, so she's only got what's in her bank account. And she just threw away a bunch of her money gambling! Ruth Marken isn't getting out of jail anytime soon!"

"And since she's locked up, you're free to travel Johto on your own, Calypso! I'm so happy for you. Now you can journey without having to worry about Ruth," Lyra adds.

"All right, I'm glad I had that good news to tell you. Call me if anything bad happens, okay? I'll also keep you updated on Ruth's status," JP finishes.

"Yay, thank you so much, JP! I'll let you know if anything happens. Bye!"

"See ya!"

I hang up the phone, and turn to Lyra. "Hey, thanks for hanging with me and healing my Pokémon while I was training. Especially since I was hiding from Gran at the time. You're a great friend."

Lyra blushes a tiny bit. "Hey, it's no problem. You're a great Pokémon trainer, Calypso. I'm glad we're friends. And I think you're going to do awesome at the Goldenrod Gym! Speaking of that, since your Gran is in jail, you can challenge the Gym! I have to do a project for Professor Elm in National Park, anyway. It was good hanging with you, Calypso. See ya!"

Lyra and Marill run through the exit for the tunnel.

When Spirit, Dusk and I walk up the stairs, the bright sunshine causes them to recoil. Dusk requests to be put back in her Poké Ball immediately, so I do so. Spirit gets used to the sunshine after a second, and she decides to chill on my shoulder as we explore the rest of Goldenrod City.

The Gym is directly to our right. Since Lyra healed all my Pokémon earlier, we're in tip top shape to challenge the Gym.

When Spirit and I get there, there's a Beauty guarding the door.

"Hi, we came to challenge the Goldenrod City Gym. Are you guys open?"

The Beauty rolls her eyes, and replies rudely, "Not for Pokémon stealing twerps like you. We know who you are, Calypso Aspen Primrose. You stole Jessica, a Misdreavus belonging to our sister, Monica Blodvek. You've been banned from entering this Gym by Gym Leader Whitney! Now leave before I call the Goldenrod Police Department!"

I flip her the bird before Spirit and I walk away bitterly. We'll find a way to sneak in there and challenge the Gym. Fuck Monica.

My skateboard recently developed a crack in it, so I haven't been riding as much. I know that my dad used to buy his skateboards from a skate shop in Goldenrod.

Spirit and I notice a path to the left, directly behind the Goldenrod Department Store. Spirit and I follow it, and to my delight, we find the skate shop!

When we walk through the door, a bell chimes above us. The shop clerk looks over to greet us, but his eyes bug out when he sees us.

"Dan?! Buddy?! But you died years ago! Ahhh! A ghost!"

My eyes also bug out at getting mistaken for my dead dad.

"Hey, wait, I'm not Dan! I'm his daughter, Calypso," I say frantically.

My voice finally snaps him out of his freak out. He slowly starts laughing, and he wipes his sweaty forehead with his right hand.

"Oh man, I'm so sorry. I've been thinking about Dan lately, and to see you come strolling through that door looking just like him… It messed with my head.

Anyway, it's awesome to finally meet you Calypso! I was an old friend of your dad's. I knew Dan's daughter would come strolling through these doors one day! So what can I do for ya?"

I pull my neon green skateboard from my bag, and show it to him. "This is one of dad's skateboards that I stole from Gran. I've been riding a lot, so it's started cracking! Ever since I first saw the crack, I stopped riding it so it wouldn't break in two. I was wondering whether you'd either be able to fix it, or sell me one for an affordable price."

"Yep, this is one of Dan's old boards that he bought from me back in the day," he comments as he looks over the damage, "This isn't looking good, Cal!

The split is on both sides of the board. To be honest, it would take a miracle to fix this, but I'll try. While I'm fixing it, I'll give you a loaner board so you can still get around.

Besides, you can advertise for me if people see you riding my skateboard. Your old one has the logo rubbed off from use anyway. I'll go ahead and do a paint job and some detail work on it. Bring it back to its former glory. "

"How much is all of this going to cost," I question anxiously.

He snaps his head back over at me incredulously. "You really think I'd charge Daniel Marken's daughter for skateboard work? Ha! You're out of your mind. Daniel always tried to pay too, that sly Growlithe, but I always insisted that it was on the house. I don't have too many friends who I allow to do this, and Dan was special. That makes you special too!"

"Are you sure? That's a lot of work there," I ask him again, but he shakes his head.

"Nah, just ride that loaner around for me for a while, and then I'll give you the Shop's phone number so I can tell you when your board is done," he says as we input our numbers into each other's PokéGear.

The new skateboard he gave me is a bright blood red with a black border. It kinda fits the vibe I've got going on today.

"All right, Calypso, I'll call you when I'm done with your board. Take care until then, okay?"

We shake hands, and I reply cordially, "Hey, you too."

I test out the new board, Spirit hanging onto my shoulder. It rides just as smooth as Dad's old one. I guess their quality hasn't changed in 13 years.

As we ride out the path onto the main road, I hear someone say something about winning a Radio Card for their PokéGear by acing a quiz at the Goldenrod Radio Tower. That's the only PokéGear Card I don't have. So I start skating towards the Radio Tower.

Spirit and I enter the Radio Tower, where the receptionist greets us warmly. We walk past her and another lady before reaching the last corner counter, labeled, "Radio Card Quiz Counter."

"Ugh, I can't believe I got it wrong again," a pink pigtailed girl groans from the left side of the Quiz Counter.

"Oh, it's all right, Whitney," the lady at the counter comforts her soothingly, "You'll get it soon. Anyway, why don't we let this girl have a try? You'll win a free Radio Card if you can answer our 5 Question Quiz correctly!"

"That's what I came here to do," I exclaim as I step up to the counter. The lady reads me five questions aloud, and to my surprise, they are easy! It takes me a minute or two to finish the quiz, and to my delight, I pass.

"Here's your Radio Card!" The lady hands me the card, and I input it into my PokéGear.

"Wow, you did it! I was sure that the answer to the third question was apricots! Oops, I've spent too much time here! I gotta get back to the Gym to prep for Monica's birthday party at 8!"

Whitney runs off to the Gym. I'm surprised that she didn't yell at me, considering that she banned me from her Gym. Maybe she didn't recognize me. That's a good sign though. It'll be easier for me to sneak into the Gym.

Plus, I could crash Monica's birthday party and ruin her night. That's what she gets for tattling to Whitney about me.

I decide to turn on the Radio to test it out for the first time. The first station we try is "The Pokémon Music Channel", but it's currently on Pokémon Lullaby, which Spirit complains about immediately.

I go ahead and change it to the next station, which turns out to be The Variety Channel, currently on a quiz show called Buena's Password. The show is interesting, so I start listening.

"Hello, everyone, it's Buena! Time for today's password! Today's password is… Bug Pokémon! Don't forget it! I'm looking forward to your visiting me at the Goldenrod City Radio Tower!"

We're already in the Radio Tower, so Spirit and I head up to the second floor, home to a cozy little cafe and Buena's studio.

We walk up to the studio area, where there are two women, one by the entrance, and one behind a desk. The one by the entrance addresses me,

"Hello, did you come to play Buena's Password? Here, your going to need this," she says as she hands me a pretty blue card, "This card is for gathering points. Every day, you can play Buena's Password once, and it counts for a point each time you get the password correct. Good luck!"

I thank her before walking up to the desk where the other woman is. I'm guessing this is Buena.

"Hey, I'm here to play Buena's Password! The name's Calypso," I introduce myself.

Buena smiles brightly, and replies, "Thanks for listening in! Do you remember today's password?"

"Yep," I answer with enthusiasm.

"Oh, wow! Thank you! What was your name again?"

I am about to answer again, but she finds the answer herself, "...Calypso! Come on, Calypso. Join the show."

Buena beckons me to come behind the desk with her, and she motions to the microphone.

"Everyone ready? I want to hear you shout out today's password for Calypso!"

She hands me a small list of three options: Bug Pokémon, Bird Pokémon, and Grass Pokémon. I know the first one is the answer.

"Bug Pokémon," I announce into the microphone.

A few seconds roll by before Buena erupts into a cheer, "Yippee, that's right! You did tune in! I'm so happy! You earned one point! Congratulations! Tune in to my show again tomorrow!"

I step out from behind the desk, and the lady at the entrance stamps my card for one point.

"The prize for having one point is a Poké Ball," she says as she hands me said Poké Ball, "Your next prize is a Full Restore at three points." I thank her again before Spirit and I head out.

It's around dinner time, and Spirit and I are so hungry that we head back to the Pokémon Center for some food. I buy a sandwich from their deli, while I feed everyone but Dusk Pokémon food.

So much has happened today that I'm feeling tired. I look at the time. 5:30pm. Whitney said that Monica's birthday party starts at 8pm, so I set an alarm on my PokéGear so I wake up at 7:30pm. That'll give me two hours to sleep, and thirty minutes to walk to Goldenrod Gym, and figure how to sneak in and crash her party.

I sleep in an empty booth in the Pokémon Center, Cyndi coming out of her Poké Ball to snooze next to me. She's so warm that lying next to her is like sleeping next to a super heated electric blanket. We quickly doze off…

*Third Person POV* (Time: 6:30pm)

Monica Blodvek squeals excitedly as she strolls down Goldenrod's Main Street, her hips swinging side to side in her tight white miniskirt. Today is her day; She turns twenty! She's not a teenager anymore!

Her glitter nails sparkle in the dying light of the soon coming sunset. She has just gotten them done at Goldenrod's Salon thirty minutes prior. She looks down to admire them, when she accidentally crashes into somebody. The impact makes her land on her ass roughly.

Brushing her newly dyed blonde hair aside, Monica looks up to find a stunned but agitated Poké Maniac also on the ground. Scowling, she spits out, "Watch where you're going next time, dweeb! You nearly ruined my nails that I just got done!"

"Like it's my problem if one of your precious nails breaks, sweetie," Poké Maniac Donald replies mockingly.

"Oh, so that's how it's gonna be. You wanna go, dweeb? I'll battle you right here, right now," Monica snarls back viciously.

"Oh, believe me, sweetheart, I'd give you the pleasure if my team wasn't just creamed by a cocky shaggy-haired bitch with a Murkrow and a Misdreavus."

Monica's perfect eyebrow twitches in response to Poké Maniac Donald's description of the trainer.

"Did you just say that you got beat by a shaggy haired girl with a Misdreavus? That's my Misdreavus, Jessica! That punk wannabe, Calypso, stole her from me five days ago! And the police refuse to do anything about it! Ugh, this makes me so pissed! And to know that she's in Goldenrod City already! She better not mess with my birthday party."

Poké Maniac Donald smiles warmly. "Happy Birthday," Donald starts out politely before shaking Monica's hand, "I'm Donald, and I think we can help each other out. What's your name?"

"I'm Monica," Monica pretends not to be disgusted at Donald's touch, "And how are you going to help me out? My birthday party is in an hour and a half! I don't have time to be plotting revenge with some random dweeb I don't know."

Donald grins mischievously, and replies, "Actually, I don't need your time to get back at her. You see, after Calypso beat me, I did some research on her. Apparently, she used to live with her abusive grandmother in Cianwood City before she ran away and her grandmother was put in jail."

"Yeah," Monica says snottily, "And how is that going to help us get back at her?"

"Well, it's pretty clear that Calypso hates her grandmother. I looked her up, and her name is Ruth Marken. She's known to be a very skilled Pokémon Trainer. Her bail is set at 75,000.

If we get her grandmother out of jail, and team up with her, I bet together, we could all take Calypso down. So what I need from you is not time, but money. I'm broke and from the looks of you, I'm guessing you're loaded," Donald finishes.

Monica thinks about this for a second before sealing the deal, "I take it back, you're not a dweeb, you're a nerd. Only a nerd would come up with a plan that would work so well. I'm in. I actually have over 250,000 with me, so I'll just give you the money now," Monica states as she hands the 75,000 to Donald.

He stares at it incredulously, replying, "I knew you were loaded, but damn!"

"And I can't believe I'm doing this, but here's my PokéGear number. Let me know when you get her grandma out of jail," Monica says as she inputs her number into his PokéGear.

"Sounds like a plan, beautiful. I'll talk to you after I get Ruth Marken out of jail."

*Calypso POV (First Person)*

My PokéGear ringing instantly rises Cyndi and I from our nap. I look down at the time. 7:15pm. Looking down, I see that JP is calling me. I yawn before answering the phone call.

"Hey, JP, what's going on?"

"Oh my Arceus, Calypso," JP starts out hysterically.

"JP, everything okay," I ask concernedly.

"So, I don't know how to tell you this, but… Someone paid your Gran's 75,000 bail. She was just released from the Goldenrod City Jail five minutes ago. There was nothing any of us could do, legally speaking. The Sergeant of the Goldenrod Police Department told me to warn you."

"Who the fuck paid to get Gran out of jail is what I want to know," I growl menacingly.

"There is a little good news," JP says after a minute, "As a safety measure, they've put a restraining order in place that she's not to be 100 yards of you at any time. So if she even comes near you, call the Police Department, and they'll arrest her again for violating her restraining order."

"So I have to be on the watch for Gran, again. That's great. I want to punch the fuck out of whoever paid her bail," I threaten.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that, Calypso. Anyways, let me know if you have any problems, okay? If you see her near you, make sure to call the nearest Police Department first. You can still call me, but make sure to get local help first. Sorry I had to tell you all of this in the first place."

"You're all good, JP, someone out there is just really a motherfucker. I'll call you if I have any problems. See ya," I say goodbye, which she returns before hanging up the phone.

I hear Cyndi make a noise, so I glance over to her, only to realize that her fire is blue in anger. She's growling lowly, and I can barely make out what she's saying,

'I want to set the old hag on fire. And set fire to the person who bailed her out.'

I barely let a small smile fly, but I also can't be encouraging this kind of behavior. So I say calmly,

"Me too, Cyndi, me too. But we don't do that because we don't want to go to prison where Gran belongs. So while we wish for revenge, we need to let karma work its magic."

Cyndi's flames return to her normal yellow/orange. I scratch her head a few times while thinking about this new development. She relaxes in response to being pet, and she begins purring. Definitely got her out of her bad mood.

It'll be a lot harder to sneak into the Goldenrod Gym now that Gran is on the loose again. Cyndi and I will have to be extra careful in order to do it without being caught. But I'm not one to be intimidated by a challenge.

Besides, Monica deserves to have her shit wrecked. According to Dusk, Monica repeatedly verbally abused her over a period of two years.

Apparently she was a gift from Monica's mother for her 18th birthday. The problem was that Monica had just gotten a job by becoming a Gym Trainer at the Goldenrod City Gym. And "Jessica", being a Ghost-Type, didn't fit in with the Normal Type Gym's aesthetics.

Not only that, but Monica nor any of the Gym trainers knew about the way that Misdreavus feed off of fear. So when she went scaring them and their Pokémon with pranks all the time, Monica flew off the handle.

So, no, I really don't feel sorry for what I'm about to do in 15 minutes. Monica is a shitty person, and if I have the chance to knock her down a few pegs, I will.

I recall Cyndi back into her Poké Ball, and let out both Spirit and Dusk, my night Pokémon. With them both being able to fly/float, they'll be the least distracting when we're trying to sneak in. Besides, I'm sure Dusk wants her own kind of revenge.

The three of us stroll out of the Pokémon Center, excited, but nervous about the evening adventure that awaits us.


	17. The Golden Adventure 2: Dusk's Revenge

While all of this drama has been going on, I've hardly had anytime for the Egg that Professor Elm has me carrying. I take it out of my backpack, the red and blue pattern distinct. I rub my hand over it, and it shakes a bit! I'm happy to see it's still doing okay. I put it back in my bag, and make sure to secure it from possible damage.

Spirit, Dusk and I go to leave the Pokémon Center, when all of a sudden, my PokéGear starts ringing again. I grab it to see who's calling, and I'm pleasantly surprised to see JC's number. I answer it almost immediately while stopping to sit at the booth again.

"Hey Calypso! It's JC! I haven't talked to you in a day or two, and JP left me a crazy voicemail saying a bunch of stuff happened with your Gran or something? I couldn't really tell what exactly she was saying in the message, so I was hoping you could clear some stuff up. And tell me how your journey is going," JC exclaims in a flurry of excitement.

"I have so much to tell you, JC," I say as I look at the clock again. 7:20pm. I have ten minutes to talk, so why not tell her everything?

"Okay, so the last time you called me, I was in Azalea Town about to go kick Team Rocket out of Slowpoke Well. Since then in the last two days, I beat all the Rocket Grunts, punched Team Rocket Executive Proton in the face, won against Azalea Gym Leader Bugsy, made friends with Kurt and his granddaughter, Maizie, travelled Ilex Forest, befriended a girl named Lyra, found out Gran was accused of domestic abuse, explored Goldenrod City, and saw and barely escaped from Gran on the sixth floor of the Goldenrod Department Store.

The Goldenrod Police found and arrested her at the Goldenrod Game Corner, playing Voltorb Flip earlier today. Now, about five minutes ago, JP called me and told me that someone paid Gran's 75,000 bail. So I have a fight to pick with whoever paid her bail. I'm pissed, JC."

It takes JC a few seconds to process all of this information, but she sputters out, "Well, I'd be too. JP and the Goldenrod City Police did their part to get a violent criminal off the streets, and someone goes and posts her bail? That is just pure evil."

"Yeah, so I have to watch out for her again, and I'm not happy. Also, I found out some interesting information," I reply, grabbing her interest.

"And what information would that be," She questions curiously.

"Okay, so Monica is actually a Gym Trainer at the Goldenrod City Gym. She tattled to the Gym Leader, Whitney, about me stealing Dusk, formerly, 'Jessica.' So Whitney banned me from challenging her Gym.

Later, I found out that Whitney is hosting a birthday party for Monica tonight in the Gym at 8pm. So I'm going to go crash Monica's birthday when we get off the phone," I relay to her.

I can hear JC trying to stifle some giggles, but she's not doing a very good job at it. "Hey, you let me know how that goes, okay? That sounds like so much fun right now."

"I'm hoping for it to be a success," I say determinedly, "Besides, I need that Goldenrod Gym Badge, and I'm not letting Monica get in my way. Anything new going on with you?"

"Yeah, kind of," JC starts out, "You know how I thought that JP wouldn't stop by my Pokémon Center as often after the whole incident three days ago?"

"Yeah, I thought she backed off? What's going on," I ask concernedly.

"Oh, don't worry, she's not being mean to me or anything like she was," JC assures me, "It's just the opposite, really. She comes at least twice a day to check up on me now even though Jenny Anne is actually the one assigned to Route 32.

I always catch her staring at me weirdly whenever she comes in to heal her Pokémon. Sometimes, if she's in a good mood, she'll bring me food from Violet City.

And she's always complimenting something about me! Yesterday, it was how my hair was in perfect loops, and today was how I healed her Aipom, Pomskey, 'awesomely.'"

My eyebrow twitches at this interesting development. "That is weird," I comment, "She's been sounding normal on the phone lately, and I haven't noticed anything weird about her. Maybe she just wants to be a good friend in order to make up for your guys' past. Unless she like-likes you. I don't know if you swing that way, but it's a possibility."

"...I've never really thought about it before, to be honest. I spent all of my childhood and adolescence studying for my Officer and Nurse positions that I never really had the time for romance," JC says awkwardly.

"Hey, don't feel bad," I comfort her, "I recently developed my first crush, and I'm seventeen. We don't all figure out things in our lives at the same rate."

"Thanks, Calypso," JC says quietly after a brief moment, "Is your first crush that Silver guy with the red hair?"

"…Shut up, JC," I say monotone.

"I knew it! I don't blame you, he's handsome in a menacing kind of way. But anyway, what should I do about JP, Calypso? The whole situation is so confusing."

"Well, I suppose you have to figure out two things," I speculate, "One, figure out whether JP is acting super nice because she wants to be your friend, or if she likes you romantically. Two, if she likes you romantically, you have to figure out if you are in a position to reciprocate her feelings back."

"Ugh, Calypso, you're right. I've got to figure this out," JC groans. "Oh, wait, Calypso! JP is calling me right now! I'll call you later, okay? I'll let know what happens either later tonight, or in the morning. Bye!"

"Bye," I say just as quickly before hanging up the phone.

Spirit and Dusk have been talking among themselves while patiently waiting for me to get off the phone. Spirit resumes her place on my left shoulder, while Dusk floats on my right side.

"So much drama, so little time, you guys," I comment as we finally leave the Pokémon at 7:30pm.

It's late enough that the street lights of Goldenrod are shining bright golden yellow to illuminate the city. I ride the loaner board all the way north up to the Gym.

We hide underneath the Magnet Train Track above us while surveying the entrance of the Gym.

First, we see just one Beauty guarding the Gym. After about two minutes, a small group of Beauties and Lasses come strolling up to the entrance. The original Beauty chats with them amicably before they all file into the Gym, one by one. I'm guessing that Whitney and Monica are already inside considering that I didn't see them.

The Gym doors close, and I can hear the Beauty locking the doors. That won't stop us, though.

We notice windows on either side of the front of the Gym. The one on our left is slightly cracked open.

"Hey, Spirit," I whisper, "Do you think you could fly up and open that window some more without being too loud? If you can do that, I think I can climb up the side of this fence so I can reach the window."

'I'll try,' Spirit says as she flies silently up to the window. She perches on the edge of the open window, nudging the bottom glass with her beak. After applying a tiny bit of pressure, the window opens enough to where I'm confident I can fit my body through it.

"Thanks, Spirit," I murmur up to her almost inaudibly. Sneakiness level up 100%!

Dusk floats up to where Spirit is waiting for me near the window. I get a footing on the concrete block fencing to my left, slowly standing up on it to try to reach the window. I wobble a few times due to my klutziness, but I manage to hold on. I stretch up to my full height of 5'7", and I get my right hand up on the metal ledge of the window. With all my strength, I swing myself back and forth until I hook one of my feet on the ledge, pulling myself up and through the window.

I do a somersault into the Gym from the window. I actually land on my feet for once.

The Gym itself is a multi-pink pattern with green ledges. It's also heavily decorated for Monica's Birthday Party, banners and streamers hanging almost everywhere.

The Gym Guru who is usually at the front of the Gym isn't here; I'm guessing he went home after the Gym closed. Just another person I don't have to sneak by.

There's a path up to the north of us. When we walk up a few feet, we notice a flight of stairs directly to the right of us, leading up on the ledges.

We decide to explore the north path first, but I find that it's a dead end. We go back to the stairs, walking up them, only to realize that a Beauty is hanging up streamers directly to left of us. I try to walk to the right quietly, but my curse strikes again. I trip and fall, causing the Beauty to hear the noise and come running over.

"Hey, you're not supposed to be in here! This is a private birthday party—Wait, you're that girl who stole Jessica! I'm afraid I'll have to kick you out, battle style," Beauty Victoria states confidently as she sends out the first of her three Pokémon, a Level 9 Sentret.

I send in Spirit, hoping to conserve Dusk's energy for a certain later battle. One of Spirit's Faint Attacks is all it takes to take her down. Beauty Victoria recalls her frustratedly.

Beauty Victoria sends in a Level 13 Sentret in her place. The Level 13 Sentret manages to get two minimal hits from her Fury Swipes, but ultimately gets steamrollered by Spirit's Faint Attack/Wing Attack combo.

Beauty Victoria's face is now red in anger. She recalls the Level 13, and then sends out her strongest Pokémon—you guessed it—a Level 16 Sentret.

She instructs this Sentret to use Defense Curl, hoping to heighten her Defense so Spirit can't knock her out instantly. Smart Move. But it won't work forever.

It takes 2 Faint Attacks and 3 Wing Attacks, but Spirit finally knocks her out after five turns of Defense Curl.

"Spirit grew to Level 19," the Pokédex announces.

Beauty Victoria grudgingly pays me 896 before allowing to continue past her. I heal Spirit with a Potion before we continue further.

We see another staircase further over to the right. We descend down it, leading to a hallway with trees on the left side, and the wall on the other. Further down, there's an opening to the left, and a hallway straight ahead.

We decide to go through the opening on the left, not realizing that we're putting ourselves in view of Beauty Samantha. Apparently, she was organizing Monica's gift table.

"Hey, you're that girl who stole Jessica from Monica! How dare you break in here and crash Monica's party," Beauty Samantha declares, sending out the first of two Pokémon, a Level 16 Meowth.

"Who wants to battle," I ask the two spooky Pokémon on my shoulders.

'I'll battle the Gym Trainers, and I'll leave Monica and Whitney to you and Dusk,' Spirit says as she flies forward to face the Meowth on the battlefield.

"Meowth, use your Fury Swipes," Beauty Samantha shouts.

"Spirit, dodge it and use your Wing Attack!"

Spirit soars up into the air, trying to dodge Meowth's Fury Swipes, but to our surprise, Meowth can leap really high. She gets one hit on Spirit for an eighth of her HP in damage.

Spirit immediately retaliates with her Wing Attack, cutting Meowth's HP down to a third.

"Spirit, finish this with Faint Attack!"

"Meowth, let's go! Use your Fake Out to stop it from attacking!"

Meowth's Fake Out hits first, the hit leaving Spirit with 3/4ths of her HP left. Unfortunately, she also flinches in response.

"Meowth, keep going at it! Use Bite to make her flinch again!"

"Spirit, dodge and use your Faint Attack!"

Spirit is faster than Meowth, disappearing into her cloud of darkness. Meowth keeps looking around, searching for Spirit, but she is too well hidden. Then, after a second of suspense, she strikes Meowth from behind.

Meowth faints from the unescapable attack. Beauty Samantha recalls her, before sending out a second Level 16 Meowth that's a twin of the first one.

'Let's get this over with,' Spirit comments as we start out with a Faint Attack.

"Meowth, use Growl!"

Meowth starts growling at Spirit aggressively, startling Spirit, and lowering her attack. Spirit stills hits Meowth with her Faint Attack, but it only reduces her HP by half.

"Meowth, use your Fury Swipes!"

"Spirit, dodge it, and use Wing Attack!"

Meowth goes in a frenzy, hitting Spirit 4 out of 5 times with her Fury Swipes. It reduces Spirit's HP to a little less than half.

Spirit still has enough strength to soar into the air, and plough into Meowth at high speed with her wings. It makes Meowth faint, to Beauty Samantha's dismay. She recalls Meowth, and pays me 896.

We realize that we can't get through to the left, so we pass Beauty Samantha on the right, going up a path and to the right. It leads us to a bigger hallway with a staircase on the left, where I see that the other path to the other hallway connects to it.

We walk up and to the left, finding another entrance to the area that was blocked off by Beauty Samantha. I look around, and see no one, so I heal Spirit with a Super Potion.

Spirit looks like she's tired, so I ask her if she wants to switch out. She accepts my offer for a nap, so I switch her out with Cyndi as my first Pokémon.

Cyndi and I sneak further down the hallway, where we see a Lass on our right, facing that direction. We go further down and to the right to avoid her, only to find another Lass guarding the other side.

Lass Carrie sees my sneak attempt, and comes to challenge me. She only has one Pokémon, a Level 17 Snubbull.

"Snubbull, we gotta take down this party crasher! Use Bite!"

"Cyndi, dodge it, and gain some speed with your Quick Attack!"

Cyndi dashes past Snubbull, who isn't able to keep up. Cyndi sprints in a circle around her, making her dizzy, before actually attacking. It reduces her HP by a third.

"Snubbull, don't let her take you down! Use Charm!"

Snubbull tries to Charm Cyndi, who succumbs to it, reducing her Attack two levels.

"Cyndi, don't sweat it! Use your Ember attack!"

Cyndi charges a fireball to blue, flinging it directly to Snubbull's face. It reduces her HP to almost none.

"Come on, Snubbull, you can do it! Use Lick!"

"Cyndi, take her out with your Headbutt!"

Cyndi and Snubbull charge each other, but Cyndi is faster. She head-butts Snubbull straight on the forehead, causing her to fly back and hit the wall, knocking her out instantly.

Lass Carrie recalls Snubbull whilst swearing under her breath. She pays me 272 in winnings.

We walk past her, and finally see the first glimpses of Whitney and Monica. They are joined by the other Lass that I snuck by earlier. They are standing around a large table with a multilayered cake in the middle. Whitney is about to cut the cake when we stumble upon the scene.

Dusk instantly puffs up in anger at seeing Monica again. I can't help but feel a little nauseous at seeing her again too. She's such a terrible person.

"See, Whitney, I told you this punk wannabe freak would try to crash my birthday party," Monica complains loudly to Whitney.

"Hey, you're the girl from the Radio Tower! I can't believe I didn't realize that it was you earlier! How dare you break into MY Gym and crash Monica's birthday party? I should call the Police Department to come pick you up, but I think I'll let Cathy escort you out instead," Whitney threatens.

Lass Cathy steps towards me, sending out the first of three Pokémon, a Level 15 Jigglypuff.

"Jigglypuff, use Defense Curl!"

"Cyndi, use Headbutt to make her flinch, and then use Flame Wheel!"

Jigglypuff curls up her body to raise her Defense by a level. Cyndi sends her flying with a Headbutt, but she's puffed herself up to the point where she's floating in the air. Cyndi turns her dashes into the start of a Flame Wheel, rolling towards Jigglypuff. However, when she makes contact, she bounces into Jigglypuff, causing both of them to bounce violently in opposite directions, causing damage to both parties.

Cyndi's HP reduces by a fifth, while Jigglypuff is a little bit worse for wear, losing a third of her HP in damage.

"Jigglypuff, use Disable on Quilava's Flame Wheel!"

Jigglypuff snaps her fingers, and Cyndi is unable to use her Flame Wheel attack.

"Cyndi, do what you did before and use Ember!"

"Jigglypuff, use Sing," Lass Cathy calls out as Cyndi blasts Jigglypuff with a small fireball.

The Ember hits Jigglypuff just as she starts singing her song. Cyndi starts getting drowsy, but her Ember ultimately knocks Jigglypuff out.

Lass Cathy recalls Jigglypuff, only to replace her with another one of the same level and gender. For some reason, Trainers at this Gym feel the need to train several of the same Pokémon.

Now that the previous Jigglypuff has been defeated, Cyndi can use her Flame Wheel again! Unfortunately, Cyndi has fallen asleep, to my annoyance. The last Jigglypuff barely got any song out. I call bullshit. Anyway…

"Jigglypuff, use Pound on the sleeping Quilava!"

"Come on, Cyndi, quit your snoozin! We need to do some bruisin'," I shout obnoxiously.

Monica, Whitney, and Cathy all groan at my terrible rhyme.

Cyndi is hit with both Jigglypuff's Pound and my terrible rhyme, and I honestly think the rhyme did more damage. The Pound decreases her HP by a tiny bit, but both of them instantly rouse her.

"Yay, Cyndi! My obnoxoius rhyme worked! Now use your Flame Wheel!"

Cyndi rolls into a flame-covered wheel, being so fast that Jigglypuff has no time to move even if Cathy issues a command.

Cyndi slams Jigglypuff into the nearest wall, almost flattening her. It's only due to her large amount of HP that she survives the hit with a tiny bit of HP left.

"Jigglypuff, I know you can do it! Use Pound again!"

"Cyndi, finish this with your Quick Attack!"

Cyndi's Quick Attack has first priority, and she throws Jigglypuff into the wall again, knocking her out.

"Come on, Cathy, don't lose to this freak," Monica shouts from the sideline.

"Shut the fuck up, Monica," I reply harshly.

"Make me, FREAK!"

Cathy doesn't respond to Monica or I's bickering, recalling her Jigglypuff, and once again replacing it with the last clone of itself.

"Jigglypuff, we gotta take Quilava down! Use Sing!"

"Cyndi, cover your ears!"

Jigglypuff starts singing again, and I immediately plug my ears because I know if I listen to her song, I'll fall asleep. Cyndi thankfully does the same thing.

Unfortunately for Monica and Whitney, they were too busy talking shit about me to notice that Jigglypuff used Sing, so they're both asleep now. Haha.

Jigglypuff's Song ends, and she notices everyone around her are either sleeping, or plugging their ears. Jigglypuff puffs up in anger, and takes apart the microphone she's holding to reveal a black marker.

To everyone's surprise, she proceeds to draw on Whitney and Monica's faces, mad that they fell asleep during her song.

"Jigglypuff, no, don't do that! You're supposed to do that to the enemy! Now use Pound!"

"Cyndi, dodge it and use Flame Wheel!"

Jigglypuff puts the rest of her anger to use in her Pound attack. To my astonishment, not only is she able to rush Cyndi, but she also hits her in the face, reducing her HP to 2/3rds. That is one angry, yet adorable, Jigglypuff.

But Cyndi refuses to let her get away with it. She comes barreling towards Jigglypuff in her Flame Wheel, knocking her into the wall again, reducing her HP to a fourth.

"Jigglypuff, use Disable again!"

"Cyndi, finish this off with your Headbutt!"

Jigglypuff snaps her fingers again, but it doesn't matter as Cyndi rushes her again, headbutting her in the forehead with enough force to make her faint.

"Jigglypuff, no," Lass Cathy cries out as she recalls her worryingly. While Monica and Whitney are still asleep, I heal Cyndi with a Potion and switch her out with Dusk as my first Pokémon.

"Whitney! Monica! Wake up! She beat me and I don't have any Revives!"

Cathy is able to wake up Whitney and Monica, who are still woozy from Jigglypuff's song.

Monica immediately looks at her reflection in the screen of her PokéGear. What she sees makes her scream.

"Waaah! I told you that this freak would ruin my birthday! Now I have this marker all over my face, ruining my makeup! You'll pay for this, you freak," Monica screams at me hysterically.

Whitney grabs Monica by the shoulder, and says soothingly, "Don't worry, Moni, I'll take care of her. As the Gym Leader of Goldenrod Gym, I promised you that I would protect your birthday party at all costs. And I'm fulfilling that promise."

Monica looks at her in disbelief, replying, "That's sweet, Whitney, but this freak has made things personal. I'm not giving her the satisfaction of getting to battle you until after I rip her limb from limb. Let me do my thing. I got this."

Whitney let's go of Monica's shoulder, allowing her to step forward to challenge me.

My eyebrows raise at her brazen threats. "Is that a threat or a promise, Moni?"

Monica's face instantly goes red at my use of her personal nickname. "You're not allowed to call me that. You're on now, you punk wannabe loser freak!"

The first Pokémon she sends out I recognize as an Level 15 Azurill.

Dusk floats from my shoulder to face Monica and Azurill.

"Jessica! My sweet baby, why are you working for the enemy? Come back to mommy right now!"

"Her name isn't Jessica," I growl menacingly, "Her name is DUSK!"

'Yeah,' Dusk yells at her.

"I can't believe you! You brainwashed Jessica into thinking I'm the bad guy here!"

Her total lack of responsibility infuriates me.

"You ARE the bad guy here, Monica! You verbally abused a Pokémon Center Nurse, cried about it to the manager, and made it look like you were the victim!

Not only that, but you totally don't know how to take care of Dusk! You insulted her because she played tricks on you guys all the time, but I bet none of you know that Misdreavus feed off of fear!

So don't claim to care about a Pokémon you had no interest about learning to care for, and that you verbally abused for two years! Just admit you don't care about her like you said, and cut the bullshit!"

Monica is speechless at my rant, and she glances between the matching stern expressions of Dusk and I. Seeing that we're both not backing down, she scowls sinisterly.

"So I see how it is. Well, then, 'Dusk' if you want to stay with this punk wannabe freak, then go. You don't belong here with me anyway. You don't fit the Gym's aesthetic, and you don't fit mine either."

Everyone in the room gasps dramatically. I guess Dusk and I are going to have wipe the floor clean with Monica. That's the only option I see right now.

"Come on, Dusk, let's wreck her!"

*Dusk's POV*

This tiny adorable Azurill is definitely a new addition to Monica's team, because I don't remember her. I feel bad for her, but she's exactly the type of Pokémon that Monica would want to train anyway. Hopefully, she'll take care of her as well as she takes care of her other Pokémon, Honey Bear.

"Sapphire, use your Charm!"

Sapphire's Charm makes my Attack stat go down. But it's a stupid move, because I can't even hit her with physical moves.

"Dusk, use your Confuse Ray," Calypso calls out to me. I oblige.

"Take this, bitches," I shout as I send out a Confusion Ray.

I confuse the Azurill with the ray, and she starts stumbling over in confusion. After a second of stumbling, she accidentally rolls onto her head, causing an eighth of damage to her HP.

"Sapphire, use your Bubble!"

"Dusk, use Psywave to pop the bubbles!"

Azurill blows a few little bubbles, so I, of course, start screaming to disrupt said bubbles. The Psywave is powerful enough that it destroys the bubbles before they can hit me. It's also powerful enough to reduce Azurill's HP by half.

Monica starts screaming, and calling Calypso and I freaks again. I hate her so much.

"Don't worry about her, Dusk! You got this! Use Spite!"

I yell a bunch of things at Monica that I've been holding back for a while. It reduces Azurill's PP for the move Bubble by 5. It also makes me feel extremely good to do so, even though she has no clue what I said. Calypso hears it, and starts laughing hysterically. Monica yells at Calypso for laughing at her before issuing another command,

"Sapphire, use Slam!"

Azurill charges at me, attempting to slam me, but these idiots clearly forgot that I'm a Ghost Type. She goes straight through me.

Calypso starts laughing at Monica's idiocy, and I can't help but giggle too.

"Dusk," Calypso says through the giggles, "Use Psywave again!"

I unleash another Psywave of hell from my mouth. It's even louder than the last one, and it instantly makes Azurill faint.

"Motherfucking bitch," Monica starts cursing while recalling Azurill, "You did not just make my little Sapphire faint! Well, Honey Bear will take care of you," She says as she sends out her last Pokémon, and my nemesis, Honey Bear. She appears to be at Level 16. Ha, I'm at Level 18. Loser.

I haven't rolled with Monica and her crew for a while so I don't know what kind of moves Honey Bear has learned. We'll see.

"Dusk, let's finish this," Calypso shouts to me. I can't help but agree with her.

"Oh, it's not over yet, freak! Honey Bear, use your Lick attack," Monica screeches.

"Dusk, dodge it, and use Confuse Ray!"

Honey Bear comes dashing towards me, her tongue outstretched. That's a super-effective move, so I fly as high up as possible, trying to avoid her.

Once I'm high up enough that she can't reach me, I send a Confuse Ray towards her. It almost misses its mark, but thankfully it hits her directly on the ear. She starts thrashing around in confusion. Her HP reduces by an eighth.

"Dusk, hit her with a Psywave and confuse her more!"

I hit Honey Bear with a sonic wave, reducing her HP to half.

"Come on, Honey Bear, let's go! Use Leer!"

Snapping out of her confusion, Honey Bear leers at me from the ground, lowering my Defense by one level.

Honey Bear has retreated further back, so I have to float down closer if I want to hit her with any attacks. There's also the problem of my lowered Defense. If she hits me with Lick, I know it won't be good. I wonder what Calypso's going to do…?

"Dusk, float closer and use Psywave again!"

"Honey Bear, use Lick! And make sure you get her this time!"

Honey Bear tries her hardest to jump up and Lick me, but as she does, I start screaming in her face, blowing her away with the Psywave. Her HP reduces to a fifth.

"Honey Bear, no! Grrr..." Monica growls exasperatedly, "Use Lick one more time!"

"Dusk, use Psywave! Whoever hits the other first is the winner!"

I float down to where Honey Bear is attempting to lick me one more time. When she's about 4ft (1.2 M) from me, I start screaming again, right in her face, about how much of a bitch she and Monica were to me.

I scream so loud that the Psywave sends her flying into the wall. After a few seconds, all of us see that Honey Bear isn't unable to battle.

Calypso looks to me, her mouth dropped wide open. "We did it, Dusk," she whisper-screams, "We motherfucking did it!"

*Calypso's POV*

"NOOO! How could this have happened to me on my birthday! WHY?!"

Monica starts crying hysterically while recalling Honey Bear, so Whitney goes to comfort her.

While Whitney's distracted, I take a few seconds to switch Dusk out with Cyndi for my battling Pokémon so Dusk can rest and watch the final battle by my shoulder.

Cyndi, Dusk and I walk up to where Monica and Whitney are sitting on the floor behind the cake table. Whitney's got her arms wrapped around a sobbing Monica, and when I approach them, Whitney glares at me.

"What do you want? You've already done enough damage here tonight. If you don't leave, I'll call the Goldenrod City Police Department!"

"First off, Monica didn't pay me. Second, if I'm not mistaken, you told Monica that you would 'take care of me' because I wrecked her birthday. I just wrecked Monica, and now you're not going to do anything about it? If you're anything like the Gym Leader you're supposed to be, I know you'll get up, and kick me out of your Gym, battle style! Either you kick me out, or I leave here with a Plain Badge!"

Whitney is stoic for a second before standing up and eyeing me sharply.

"You know what, you're right. Moni, I told you I'd take care of this, and I'm going to. Calypso Aspen Primrose, you are going to regret ever messing with any of us!"

To my surprise, Whitney only has two Pokémon on her team. The first she sends out is a Level 17 female Clefairy.

Cyndi goes to take her on. Whitney issues the first command,

"Clefairy, use Doubleslap!"

"Cyndi, dodge it, and use your Flame Wheel attack," I call out.

Cyndi out speeds Clefairy, hitting her with a Flame Wheel for half of her HP in damage.

Clefairy got covered in soot as a result of the Flame Wheel, and she is not happy. She runs up and hits Cyndi in the face with her Doubleslap 3 out of 5 times for a fifth of her HP in damage.

"Cyndi, use Headbutt to make Clefairy flinch!"

"Clefairy, use Metronome!

Clefairy starts waggling one of her fingers, while Cyndi charges her. Cyndi hits her with Headbutt, reducing her HP to almost none. Clefairy retaliates, her Metronome turning into Slash, and she reduces Cyndi's HP to a little under half.

"Clefairy, use Doubleslap," Whitney tries, but my next move makes it not matter,

"Cyndi, use your Quick Attack!"

Cyndi's Quick Attack hits first, making Clefairy faint instantly.

"Cyndi grew to Level 21," The Pokédex congratulates.

"H-hey! Just one left? But… I ain't losin, you hear?"

"We'll see about that," I say as I recall Cyndi for some rest. I send out Dusk in her place.

Whitney's last Pokémon is a Level 19 Miltank. The worst thing about Normal Type Pokémon is that they usually have an obscene amount of HP. I'm hoping that status problems might be able to help me with this battle.

"Miltank, use Rollout," Whitney starts the battle off.

"Dusk, dodge it and use Confuse Ray!"

Miltank rolls into an extremely fast wheel of muscle, bouncing around the room. Dusk tries to avoid it by flying upward, but Miltank is able to gain enough air bouncing to hit her. It reduces her HP by a third.

Despite being hit with an attack, Dusk is still able to accurately hit Miltank with her Confuse Ray. To our annoyance, Miltank pulls out a Lum Berry and eats it, eliminating her status problems. I growl frustratedly.

"Ha, you never expected that, did you," Whitney taunts me.

"That was a smart move, but it'll take more than that to trip us up," I reply back confidently.

"LOSE! FUCKING LOSE, YOU FREAK! GO WHITNEY," Monica starts screaming.

I want to tell Monica to shut the fuck up, but I hold my tongue and opt for, "Dusk, use Spite on Miltank's Rollout!"

Dusk reduces Miltank's PP for Rollout by 5, but it doesn't stop Whitney and Miltank from using it, however. Miltank hits Dusk with another round of Rollout, with more power this time, leaving her with an eighth of HP left.

"Come on, Dusk, you can do it! Use Confuse Ray one more time!"

Dusk sends another Confuse Ray to Miltank, who actually stays confused this time. She stumbles around, accidentally hitting her head against the wall in confusion for a fifth of her HP in damage.

"Come on, Miltank, you got this! Use Stomp!"

I start to laugh because Stomp is a Normal Type move, so it can't hit Dusk. But to my astonishment, it does! She faints from the impact.

"How did your Miltank use a Normal Type move on Dusk," I question as I sadly recall Dusk. She put up a good fight.

"Miltank has the ability, Scrappy! She can hit Ghost Type Pokémon with Normal and Fighting Type moves."

"GO WHITNEY! YOU AND MILTANK CAN DO THIS," Monica starts screaming again.

"Monica, shut the fuck up!"

It might be a risk, but I think I might let Forest have a go at it.

"Go, Forest, use your Poisonpowder!"

"Miltank, use Rollout again!"

Miltank almost flattens Forest, but he swiftly sidesteps her, throwing his Poisonpowder on her.

She starts losing HP due to the poison, reducing her HP to 3/4ths.

"Miltank, use Attract on Bellsprout," Whitney instructs her.

Miltank sends Forest a seductive look, and that's all it takes for him for him to be head over heels, infatuated.

"Forest, come on, use your Vine Whip attack!"

Forest is too immobilized by love to make any moves, to my frustration.

"Miltank, use your Stomp!"

Miltank runs up to Forest, stomping his lower body with her hoof, reducing his HP to a fourth.

"Forest, no! Are you okay?" He manages to get up, thankfully.

"Forest, stay strong! Use your Vine Whip!"

"Miltank, use Stomp to end it!"

"Dodge it, Forest!"

Forest is too in love with Miltank to make any moves. Miltank starts approaching to make the final blow. In my desperation, I shout out,

"Forest, don't do this! She doesn't actually love you! Use your Vine Whip!"

Forest finally snaps out of his infatuation, barely able to dodge Miltank's Stomp.

Forest is able to grab one of Miltank's legs with his vines. With all the strength, he can muster, Forest makes Miltank trip and fall on her face, reducing her HP to half. Then, another round of poison reduces it a couple more points.

"Miltank, take him out with your Rollout," Whitney continues the onslaught.

"Come on, Forest, you can dodge it!"

Forest tries his hardest to avoid Miltank's massive wheel of destruction, but she's too fast, and crashes into him. The hit sends him flying against the wall, making him faint.

"Oh, Forest, you did so well," I give him praise as I recall him back into his Poké Ball.

"You've already got two fainted Pokémon, and one of your other ones is injured! Why don't you just give up now," Whitney taunts me. I don't fall for it.

"YEAH, FREAK! GIVE UP SO I CAN FINALLY CELEBRATE MY FUCKING BIRTHDAY," Monica screeches in conjunction with Whitney's taunt.

I point to Monica, "First, I don't give a shit, so shut the fuck up," and then I turn to Whitney, "And you're one to talk. You only have two Pokémon, one of them is fainted, and the other has half it's health left, along with poison status. I'm not worried."

"We'll see about that! Send out your next Pokémon!"

I know that Cyndi is hurting with less than half HP, and Miltank's Rollout is super-effective against Spirit, so I decide to let Zellie have a shot. Her Sonicboom could come in handy.

"Zellie, use your Sonicboom!"

"Miltank, finish this before it starts with your Rollout!"

"Zellie, flip over it!"

Miltank comes speeding towards Zellie, who doesn't even blink at the faster Pokémon's wheel of destruction. Once Miltank comes within two feet of her, Zellie flips entirely over Miltank, and shoots a Sonicboom that stuns her. Miltank's HP goes to down less than a fourth. Then, the poison reduces it to almost nothing.

"Oh, poor me," Whitney cries out sarcastically, "Whatever shall I do? Oh, wait, I know! Miltank, use your Milk Drink!"

Miltank heals her HP to a little more than half. I grind my teeth in frustration, but I'm hoping that Zellie's Sonicboom will get the job done.

"Zellie, don't stop! Use Sonicboom as much as you can!"

Zellie starts spitting out continuous Sonicbooms, most of them missing the fast Miltank, but one of them hit for 20 points in HP damage. It reduces her HP to a fourth.

"Miltank, we can't tolerate this! Use Stomp to knock these intruders out of here!"

"Zellie, dodge it!"

Miltank goes to Stomp Zellie's face in, but the moment she goes to stomp down, Zellie zips out of the way.

"How is she doing that," Whitney calls out, "My Miltank is faster than her!"

"Faster, yes, but not more evasive. Besides, Zellie is more accurate with her attacks. And you're using physical moves while we're using special moves from a distance. That's why ours are more likely to hit."

Miltank's HP reduces to almost nothing from another turn with poison status.

"Miltank, come on, you got this! Use Milk Drink!"

"Zellie, stop her, and finish this with your Quick Attack!"

Zellie's Quick Attack has priority over Miltank's Milk Drink, and she knocks Miltank out before she's able to heal herself.

"Zellie grew to Level 13. Zellie grew to Level 14," The Pokédex announces.

"Ugh…," Whitney sighs as she recalls Miltank. Then, all of a sudden, she starts bawling, "Waaaaah! Waaaaah! ...Snivel… Hic. ….You meanie!"

"Umm, I literally just won a Pokémon battle against you in your own Gym. You owe me a Plain Badge," I say harshly.

Monica wraps her arms around a sobbing Whitney now, snarling, "You literally broke in here to ruin my birthday and you think Whitney is going to give you a Gym Badge? She doesn't owe you shit."

"Calypso, get lost! Get out of here before I call the Police Department," Whitney cries out childishly.

I start getting a little angry. "We had a deal. Either I lost and you kicked me out, or I won, and got a Plain Badge."

"Whitney, she did technically beat you in your Gym in Gym Operation Hours," I'm surprised to hear Cathy speak, "We did close early for Monica's Birthday Party, and by law, we were supposed to be open to receive Gym challengers. I'd just give her the Badge, Whitney."

"CATHY?! WHY ARE YOU STANDING UP FOR THIS FREAK," Monica screeches again.

Whitney growls, "If I give you this badge, will you get out and never come back? Also, you can never harass Monica again."

"Deal, but if Monica fucks with me again, the second part of the deal is invalid."

Monica looks like she's about to protest this, but Whitney gives her a silencing glance.

"Deal," Whitney says as she places a small square shaped golden badge in my hand.

"I guess you did beat me fair and square. Even if you broke in here to do it. But that doesn't mean I want you anywhere in my sight. If I ever catch you harassing any of my Gym Trainers again, I'll make sure you get creamed next time."

"Duly noted," I say as I walk past them, and slowly walk my way out of the Gym, a tired Zellie by my side.

"Boy, are you a trooper, Zellie. Thank you so much for toughing it out and finishing what Dusk started, and Forest continued," I congratulate her.

'No problem. I thought Miltank was gonna knock me out so many times, but you got us through it. I'm so happy I'm getting stronger!'

"Yeah, and you grew two levels from that battle," I continue, "I'm really proud of you, Zellie."

Zellie swishes her tails back and forth in happiness. I notice her start to tire as we finally get to the entrance of the Gym. I offer her to return to her Poké Ball so she can rest on the way home. She obliges.

I go to ride on the loaner board when Spirit surprises me by popping out of her Poké Ball, and perching on my shoulder.

"Hey, what's up, Spirit? You feeling okay from earlier?"

'I just wanted to tell you how well I think you did in there. You went in there, took charge, and didn't take no for an answer. You're becoming everything your Gran feared you'd be. But at least you're you.'

I can't help but smile at Spirit's compliment.

"Aww, thanks, Spirit. I think I just really wanted this for Dusk and for myself too. And the Team. You guys mean everything to me."

Spirit caws in contentedness, and we ride silently to the Pokémon Center.

I heal all of my Pokémon before Cyndi and I completely crash on the Pokémon Center booth. As we doze off, I can hear the ring of my PokéGear going off. But I'm too tired too answer it…

*Third Person POV* (An hour and a half ago)

"Hello, welcome to the Goldenrod City Jail, I'm Officer Jenny Marie. How can I help you today?"

"Yes, I've come to post the bail of an inmate in your facility," Poké Maniac Donald says as he walks closer to the front desk.

"Okay," Officer Jenny Marie says cheerfully, "Which inmate's bail did you want to post?"

"I want to post the bail of Ruth Marken."

"Okay, I'm looking up Ruth Marken in the system… Found her! Okay, so her bail is set for 75,000. Did you still want to post it?"

"Yes," Poké Maniac Donald confirms.

"Okay, so how did you want to pay for that? Cash, check, or credit?"

"It'll be cash," Poké Maniac Donald says as he pulls out the wad of cash that Monica gifted to him for this purpose.

"Okay, let me count this… Okay, this is indeed 75,000. Let me process this transaction, and I'll bring your inmate out to you shortly. I have to let you know however, that there are conditions of releasing her from incarceration. She has a restraining order put on her from her granddaughter, and she must not come within 100 yards of Calypso Aspen Primrose. If she does, she'll break her restraining order, and she'll be brought back here. Understand?"

"Yes," Poké Maniac confirms again.

"All right, we're done! I'll be right back with your inmate!"

After about a minute, Officer Jenny Marie comes back with a large disheveled woman following behind her. Incarceration doesn't look good on Ruth Marken.

"Here she is! Well, I hope you two have a great day! And keep out of trouble," Officer Jenny Marie says farewell while sitting back behind her desk again.

Ruth Marken stares at the random person who posted her bail. Hell, she should've been able to pay her own bail, but she lost thousands gambling and much more was stolen from her ungrateful bitch of a granddaughter.

Poké Maniac Donald beckons her to follow to him outside. They exit the Jail, Ruth easily being able to keep pace with Donald.

"Who are you? Or what are you? Some kind of Pokémon furry?"

Poké Maniac Donald blushes instantly at this question, replying furiously, "I am a man dedicated to Pokémon, Madam, and in order to know about Pokémon, I dress like a Pokémon. Anyway, you should be nicer to the person who just posted your bail."

"I don't even know you. Why did you pay massive amounts of money to post my bail," Ruth questions him.

"Oh, it's not just me. You, me, and another person all have one common enemy, my dear Ruth," Poké Maniac Donald says sinisterly.

Ruth matches her grin to Poké Maniac Donald's tone. "Let me guess, it's my lovely ungrateful bitch of a granddaughter, Calypso. She's always causing trouble."

"Yeah, she beat me in battle and gloated about to several people, and she stole the Pokémon of the person who paid to get you out of jail. If you want to help us, we want to take her down."

Ruth thinks about this for a few moments before replying, "You've got yourself a deal. Here, if you hold on to me, Fafnir can fly us to Cianwood City, where I live. We can plan things out there. Of course, it's a little messed up right now because lovely Calypso got into some trouble."

"Nah, I'd rather stay in Goldenrod if that all right with you. I live in one of the houses over by the Underpass Tunnel. We can plan from there."

"Humph... fine. Lead the way," Ruth says grumpily, while following Poké Maniac Donald down the Goldenrod Main Street. Officer Jenny Marie told them not to get into trouble, so they went searching for it.


	18. Going In and Coming Out

*JP's POV*

*7:30pm*

"Oh my Arceus, I can't believe I'm about to do this," I whisper as I pull up Nurse Joy Cameron's phone number on my PokéGear.

Ever since the incident with JC four days ago, I can't get Nurse Joy Cameron out of my head! My thoughts and dreams are constantly manifesting her in my mind. I'll admit, my daydreams aren't always PG either. I usually spend most of my time thinking about her or Calypso's legal troubles.

I can't help but feel as if there are underlying reasons as to why I harassed Nurse Joy Cameron for months on end. Now that the whole thing is over, I can recognize that maybe my behavior was borderline obsessive.

The reason I think I was so angry that she left the Police Department in the first place was because I actually wanted to work with her and become close to her. I thought that I idolized her, but maybe it's more than just that. Maybe I… like her?

"What should I do, what should I do," I ask myself restlessly as I pace around my apartment in Violet City. I know that I have to do something about this if I want the constant thoughts and dreams to go away. My index finger is so close to pressing on her number, and as I go to press it, I say,

"Well, here goes nothin'."

*Third Person POV*

Officer Jenny Paige presses the button to dial Nurse Joy Cameron's phone number. After a few rings, JC's soft voice answers,

"Hello, this is Nurse Joy Cameron speaking..."

"Hey, JC? It's JP," JP answers back tentatively.

"Oh, JP, hey how's it going," JC says in a tone of voice that sounds as awkward as JP feels right now.

"Oh, I'm doing all right. I was just calling to see how you were doing," JP lies, feeling the awkwardness and tension rise as an uncomfortable silence settles over them.

"Well, I'm doing okay. Feeling tired from the constant stream of Trainers coming in. How are you," JC answers back after a moment.

"Doing the same. I'm also stressed because my Sergeant is putting a lot of pressure on me because of the Calypso thing."

More uncomfortable silence follows, as both women don't know what to talk about, tensing up the vibe even more so.

"Hey, JP, I'm pretty tired, and I still have some duties to do before we retire for the night. If you don't have anything to talk to me about, I think I'll go—"

"Wait, JC, don't go," JP says urgently, "I lied! I didn't call to check up on you! I called because I can't stop thinking about you! You're in my head all the time! I called because… well, I think I like you!"

"…...What? JP, I don't know what to say," JC says quietly after a moment.

"Oh, JC, please don't hate me! I know that I've made your life hell over the past few months, and I don't expect you to like me back! I just had to tell you this because I literally can't get you out of my head! And now you probably hate me! Oh my Arceus, I can't believe I did this," JP starts sobbing into the phone.

"JP? JP… JP," JC yells over JP's sobbing. JP stops to sniffle a bit, so JC takes the opportunity to respond,

"JP, I don't hate you at all. I understand why you did the things you did, and I've already forgiven you for it.

To be honest, I've suspected it in the last few days, and I have no idea how to feel. JP, I've never had a boyfriend or girlfriend before. I have no experience with romance or dating, or any of that! That's why I can't respond to your feelings right now because I honestly don't know how to feel. Give me some time to think about it, and I'll let you know, okay?"

JC hears JP sniffle again before she stutters, "Okay, that's not a no. I think this might be a potential win! Call me soon, JC, okay? Promise?"

"Yeah, I will. Promise," JC confirms with both warmth and confusion as they both hang up the phone.

*JC's POV* *7:45 pm*

"Lord Arceus, why is she not answering," I panic as I hang up my PokéGear for the fifth time in a row. I've found myself in a predicament I would've never thought was possible. Officer Jenny Paige admitted she has feelings for me over the phone! I told her that I needed some time to think before I could even answer her.

I don't know what to do, so my first instinct is to call Calypso. But I guess she's too tired from wrecking Monica's birthday to answer. I don't blame her; That sounds like a lot of work.

I really don't have anyone else I could talk to about this. I don't know how my family would feel if they found out I had feelings for a girl. I don't even know how to feel, to be honest. Romance is so confusing!

I've been lounging on my bed ever since JP called me fifteen minutes ago with her confession of love. I asked Amelia to take over for me when I received the phone call, and she's probably wondering where I'm at. I slowly get up and stretch before returning to the lobby to resume my duties.

Amelia notices my return, 'Are you all right? It's been slow since you've been gone. What happened there,' Amelia questions me.

I smile, Amelia's concern lighting the warmth inside me like the flickering flame of a candle. I always forget that my Pokémon are always here for me too.

"I'm honestly so confused, Amelia," I start off, "You know that Officer Jenny Paige who's been harassing me but then turned into a friend of mine and Calypso's?"

"I couldn't forget about her if you commanded me to. You can't forget someone who made your Trainer's life hell for months. Anyway, what is she up to now?'

I blush heavily as I whisper scream the next part,

"She… she told me she likes me, Amelia! And not as a friend! She likes me, as in, she wants to date me!"

'You speak like you're surprised that this has happened, when it's been smacking you in the face the entire time, Joy! Why would the girl take so much time out of her schedule to harass you if she actually hated you? How would that benefit her?'

Her question throws me for a loop.

"I really thought she just hated me that much. I never thought it would be the literal opposite.

I just don't know what to do, Amelia! I tried calling Calypso to talk to her about it, but she probably passed out after she wrecked Monica's Birthday Party."

'You talked to Calypso about this once, yes? What did she say about it then?'

"She told me that I had to do two things. First, figure out whether JP actually likes me or not."

'Which we just found out she does,' Amelia interjects.

"And second," I continue, "I have to figure out if I'm in a position to reciprocate her feelings or not."

'Well, that sounds like an efficient problem solving system. Have you thought about the second question yet or not?'

"I honestly can't stop thinking about it, Amelia! This is all really crazy considering I've never done any of this dating stuff before. I really need to talk this over with Calypso."

'I'm sure she'll call back soon. Anyway, to pass the time, would you like to help me feed the sick Pokémon in the back?'

"It would be my pleasure," I say as we head back to the Treatment Room.

*Third Person POV (Residence of Poké Maniac Donald, 8:15pm)*

"You never told me that you live in your parents' basement! If I would've known that, we definitely would have flown back to my place to do this," Ruth growls irritatedly.

"Well, Madam, you never asked," Poké Maniac Donald retorts sassily as he leads her down a flight of stairs to what he calls his "Lair."

Ruth immediately notices two things as they proceed downstairs. One, a giant closet with multiple Pokémon costumes. Two, a large system of computers with a desk in front of them. She can't help but make a sarcastic comment,

"Wow, you're really dedicated to being a furry and a nerd, aren't you?"

Poké Maniac Donald's face instantly reddens again. "I am working on a Pokémon theater production in which several people cosplay as Pokémon and tell a story! If you have any problems with my mechanical or theatrical endeavors, you're free to walk out that door. But I don't think that you want to. I think we both know that you want revenge on Calypso a little too much to turn your back on me now."

Ruth stays silent in response to his statement, knowing that it's true. Poké Maniac Donald clicks his tongue in response before continuing,

"That's what I thought. Besides, you, Monica, and I combined all have the needed resources to take her down. I have the computer and disguise skills, Monica is fucking loaded, and you have a strong team of Pokémon. Against all of us together, Calypso shouldn't stand a chance."

"Hmmph, I guess you're right," Ruth admits, "But what's the deal with this other girl, Monica? If she cares so much about taking down Calypso, why isn't she here? And what does she have to do with all of this?"

"It's her 20th Birthday, Ruth, and she's celebrating at the Goldenrod Gym because she's employed there as a Gym Trainer. And like I said before Ruth, Monica is just another person who got pissed off by something Calypso did. She has the funds to make things happen, and if we work with her, we can make those things happen to Calypso. Bad things."

Ruth is piqued by Poké Maniac Donald's suggestion of sinister schemes.

"What things did you have in mind," a highly interested Ruth inquires.

"I'm glad you asked," Poké Maniac Donald goes to continue before the shrill ringing of his PokéGear interrupts him.

"Well, if it isn't the Birthday Princess herself! Oh, Arceus, I was supposed to call her when I bailed you out! She's been waiting for over a half hour for this phone call! She's going to be so mad," Poké Maniac Donald sassily realizes. Ruth mistakes his sassiness for actual worry.

"Heh, seems like you're her little bitch, huh? She got you whipped that bad?"

Poké Maniac Donald's face reddens so deeply that Ruth wonders whether he's broken blood vessels in his face. She can tell that he wants to scream at her, but he instead answers snarling,

"I'm no one's little bitch, but if I was, I definitely wouldn't be her little bitch."

Then, he finds the composure to answer Monica's call right before it stops ringing.

"Hello, this is Donald," he answers the PokéGear phone.

An enormous eruption of a mix of shrieking and sobbing screech through the phone speakers, startling both Donald and Ruth. Neither of them can tell exactly what Monica is trying to say, but after a moment of repeating herself, they figure out that she's screaming,

"DONALD, YOU ASS! I TOLD YOU THAT FREAK WOULD RUIN MY BIRTHDAY PARTY! SHE CAME AND LITERALLY WIPED THE FLOOR WITH ALL OF US, INCLUDING WHITNEY! WHEN ARE WE GOING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT HER, YOU IDIOT?"

"Monica, sweetie, you need to calm down. I already went and posted Ruth's bail and she's sitting here with me now. If you want to stop by, we can start planning out our revenge," Poké Maniac Donald says cautiously. It does nothing to stave off Monica's screaming.

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN, YOU FUCKING DWEEB! IF YOU WOULD'VE CALLED ME WHEN YOU FIRST BAILED RUTH OUT, MY BIRTHDAY WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN RUINED! WHY SHOULD I HELP YOU TWO NOW? YOU LET MY BIRTHDAY GET RUINED BY THAT FREAK!"

Poké Maniac Donald seems stumped by this accusation, so Ruth takes the PokéGear out of his hands to speak with Monica and deescalate the situation.

"Monica, dear, this is Ruth. I lived with Calypso, and trust me, if I had known that she was about to ruin your birthday, I would've been running down there to smack the shit out of Calypso and teach her that lesson she still hasn't quite learned yet. But, since I wasn't able to, what say you come down here and plan your revenge with us? She ruined your birthday. So let's ruin her life. She's already done quite a job at trying to destroy mine. Let's not let it happen to you or poor Donald anymore either."

Ruth's smooth speech silences Monica's sniveling.

"Hmmph, I wish you were my grandma. My grandma lives in Hoenn, so I never get to see her. Calypso sure is taking you for granted," Monica says thickly, the aftermath of her crying inflaming her nasal passages.

"Well, dear, I'm sure you'd be the kind of granddaughter who is grateful for their grandma, instead of being a disobedient, ungrateful thief and liar. I'd love to trade Calypso for you in a heartbeat."

Monica can't help but tear up a bit at Ruth's statement. "All right, I'm about to leave the Gym. I'm bringing the rest of my cake and alcohol too, so we can actually celebrate my birthday while we plan to make Calypso's life hell. It's the least we deserve. Donald, can you tell me where to go?"

Poké Maniac Donald guides Monica to his parents' house, where his parents are once again surprised by the unusual company. Donald meets her by the door and instructs her to follow him down a flight of stairs.

"Your parents' basement? Real classy, Donald," Monica rolls her eyes as he leads her down the stairs to where Ruth is.

Ruth smiles warmly when Monica arrives. Holding out her right hand to shake, Ruth exclaims,

"I'm Ruth Marken, it's so nice to finally meet you Monica! I do believe that you, Donald, and I have some plotting to do..."

"Agreed," the other two chime in unison. And with that, the unlikely group of friends connected by the same common enemy share cake and booze while they plot Calypso's downfall...

*Lyra's POV; National Park; 8:30 pm*

Marill and I manage to make our way up to the National Park through Route 35 despite all of the Trainers we have to fight on the way there. My team only consists of three Pokémon right now, despite all the Pokémon the Professor has had me catching in the last few weeks. He's been studying all of them.

Along with Marill, I have a Clefairy that was given to me by my mom, and Professor Elm's last Starter Pokémon, Chikorita.

The steady stream of new Trainers slowed, and as a result, no one had taken Chikorita yet. So when Professor Elm had me come work for him, he noticed that Chikorita and I had bonded during our few visits together. He decided that I was the best Trainer for Chikorita, so he gave her to me. And just yesterday, she evolved into Bayleef after reaching Level 16! I'm so proud of her.

I'm pretty consistent with how I rotate my Pokemon's training, and as a result, my Pokémon are all currently all Level 17 right now. We should be strong enough to handle ourselves in the Bug Catching Contest tonight.

Marill and I head up the National Park checkpoint, and to my disappointment, I realize that it's still only Wednesday! The Bug Catching Contest only happens on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

Professor Elm sent me here to catch some of the special Bug Pokémon that only come out during the Contest, but I think he's been so into his research that he forgot what day it is!

"Well, Marill, we have two options. We can walk all the way back to Goldenrod City or Grandma's so we can sleep in a bed, and then have to walk all the way back here, or we try setting up the old tent tonight, so we can do the Contest when we wake up. What do you think?"

Marill thinks about all the walking they did just to make it to the checkpoint. Not wanting to do all that again, they opt for spending the night in the Route 35 woods. But little do they know that their decision will directly affect their future...

*Third Person POV; 7am; Poké Maniac Donald's Residence*

"Ugh…," Poké Maniac Donald mutters as he groans, opening his eyes for the first time this morning. To his immediate surprise, he finds himself on his couch/bed in the basement, both Monica and Ruth both passed out next to/on top of him.

To his horror, there are several empty alcohol bottles on the floor, and Monica is missing her miniskirt and tube top, clad in only her lacy lingerie. She is piled half on top of him, and half on top of Ruth. Donald instantly flushes in embarrassment for her, and in the hope that nothing actually happened between them.

'Any straight dude would be ecstatic to wake up to this,' Donald can't help but acknowledge to himself, 'but I am not one of those dudes.'

Thankfully, Ruth is still fully clothed, but she has an ironclad grip on Donald's leg with her arm, to his terror. If he wants to get away from this, he has to risk waking the two sleeping women up first.

To his relief, Ruth slightly loosens her grip on his leg so that he's able to move it away. Unfortunately, in his movement to do so, he accidentally knocks his knee into Monica's hip!

The accidental hit wakes Monica up instantly, and she looks up to see Donald's petrified face in front of her. It's only when she looks down on herself that she realizes what's scaring him.

"I swear nothing happened! On Arceus himself, nothing bad happened between us last night," Donald whisper screams, hoping Monica won't blow up in his face.

Monica rolls her eyes, and replies nonchalantly, "Of course nothing happened between us last night, dweeb. I'm pretty sure you're gay, and I have standards. Besides, I almost always take off my clothes when I get drunk. It's just a me thing."

Donald is left speechless in both relief and shock. He's grateful that nothing happened, but her last statement really threw him for a loop.

"Well, if you're going to be here, keep your clothes on! You're going to give my parents the impression that I'm straight, no matter how many times I purposely bomb the dates they plan for me," Donald begs her.

"Whatever, dweeb." Monica spots her clothes laying on the floor, so she carefully maneuvers off of the still sleeping Ruth in order to grab them. Mentioning to Donald her intentions, she walks off towards his bathroom to clean up and get dressed.

Ruth starts snoring heavily, annoying Donald who can't escape the noise from anywhere in the basement. Not wanting to go upstairs where he'd have to interact with his parents, he decides he's going to have to wake Ruth up.

Knowing she was arrested for physical abuse, Donald takes a 6 ft (1.8 M) long wooden pole, and gently pokes the sleeping Ruth in the cheek with it. After she grumbles threateningly, he does it again, prompting Ruth to awaken and grab the pole when he tries to go in for a third poke.

"Be glad I didn't let you do that a third time. I would have ripped your head off of your tiny little neck," a tired but awake Ruth snarls at him. He immediately throws down the pole in surrender, hoping she doesn't come after him in retaliation.

Both of them are interrupted by Monica's exit of the bathroom. She walks up to them, finally fully clothed again.

"So I'm guessing that we ate cake and drank alcohol all night instead of coming up with revenge ideas, right," Ruth mumbles grumpily to the other two.

"Yeah, but at least we had a great time. You guys actually made my birthday enjoyable," Monica says to everyone's surprise, "Even if we didn't get what we wanted done, I still enjoyed myself. Thanks, I guess."

"To be fair, I haven't enjoyed a night of drinking and the company of friends for so long. It was nice hanging out with you kids. Even if we didn't come up with any ideas. Do you know how long it's been since I've woken up on somebody else's couch? 40 years," Ruth reminiscences fondly.

"Hey, it's not too late to exact our revenge, you guys! I remembered something from my encounter with Calypso yesterday that might help us with our revenge," Donald recalls happily.

"What is it," both Ruth and Monica wonder aloud.

"So, when I met Calypso for the first time was in the Underpass Tunnel. I was training my Slowpokes and working up the courage to ask out Super Nerd Eric, who cooly hung out on the other side of the Tunnel with his two Grimers. I usually hang out up north by the Dress Up Guy.

Well, I was waiting to make my move when Calypso and her team came along. She totally creamed my Slowpokes with her Murkrow's Faint Attack. Well, totally destroying my team wasn't enough for her. She had a friend with her, and when her friend was done dressing up her Pokémon, Calypso gloated to her friend about beating me.

Well, I think that friend is our ticket to getting back at Calypso. Along with Calypso's big mouth. So from what I could gather, Calypso's friend is a girl named Lyra. She has a Marill, wears her brown hair in pigtails, and wears overalls. They were talking to an Officer Jenny over the phone.

Right before they left, Calypso cheered about Ruth going to jail, and that's how I found out about you, Ruth. Also, Lyra told her that she has something to do in National Park, and that she has to hurry down there quickly. Well, the only thing that goes on in National Park is the Bug Catching Contest. And the Bug Catching Contest is only held on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. If Lyra is there doing the Bug Catching Contest, then there's still a chance she's still over there because yesterday was Wednesday, not Thursday! We should try and drag our asses over there to catch her and force her to lure Calypso over there."

"If you keep coming up with all these good ideas, you'll be the biggest nerd I know, Donald," Monica says to him jokingly.

"All right, if you guys have the plan all figured out, we should head up there, then. Don't want to miss our chance to meet Lyra, do we," Ruth states as she lifts herself off the couch. Stretching her hands above her head, she yawns loudly.

Donald is surprised by Monica's and Ruth's acceptance of his plan and his leadership. He never would've thought the high-strung women would actually listen to him. Not wanting to lose their interest or motivation, Donald charges along,

"All right, let's do this you guys," as he leads them up the basement stairs, and past his parents in the living room to reach the front door.

"Donald, son, where are you going with your new friends," Donald's father questions him as he's about to open the front door.

"Yeah, you've been going out a lot sweetie, and while we're glad you're making new friends, we're also worried about your safety, dear," his mother adds, coming into the living room from the kitchen.

"Mom, Dad, I'm 19 years old. I don't need you guys in my personal business," Donald tries to set up a defense. Donald's father breaks through it with a metaphorical baseball bat.

"Now, Donald, you know we're just trying to do what's best for you. If we keep letting you go down this route, you will be an unemployed loser who goes out and spends all his money during the day while on the computer all night. No girl will want to date you son, because you'll be a loser," Donald's father finishes his lecture.

"We've been meaning to talk about this with you for a while, Donald. All of the daughters of my friends say that you were rude to them when we set you guys up on dates! They said you burped in their faces, would ignore what they were saying to look at your electronics, and were just generally rude. I don't know what's gotten into you lately, but it's got to stop, Donald," Donald's mother just adds to the fire.

By now, Donald has had enough. He explodes on his parents,

"You're already making me go on dates with daughters of your friends when I told you that I'm not interested in dating them! And you were complaining a few months ago that I never go out when I didn't have any friends or hobbies. Now that I do have friends and hobbies, you're yelling at me for going out! You're such hypocrites!

Mom, Dad, did you ever stop to think that I don't want you to set me up on dates? That I don't need anyone else's help in my love life? Who I love is up to me, not anyone else. And for your information, I was about to ask out Super Nerd Eric yesterday, but my plan got ruined when a Trainer beat me before I could! So there! If you must know, your son is gay! Are you happy now?"

"Donald, let's talk about this for a second. We know who you are, Donald, and you're not gay. The Donald we know isn't gay," Donald's father throws accelerant on the fire.

"This is another one of your phases, Donald. You'll grow out of it soon enough," Donald's mother makes the fire explode.

About to scream at his parents, Donald is startled by Ruth unexpectedly grabbing his wrist.

"Come on, Donald, we are leaving," Ruth announces as she glares menacingly at Donald's parents, "We'll go to a place where you'll feel more welcome."

"Lady, who are you to lead around our son, and tell him what to do," Donald's father stands up to his full height of 5'8". It does nothing to intimidate Ruth, who has three inches on him. When she turns her glare fully on him, he takes a few steps back, realizing that she could pummel him to the ground in one punch if she wanted to.

"Someone who actually respects him for who he is," Ruth criticizes harshly.

"Okay, so Donald might be a dweeb, but he's our dweeb," Monica shocks Donald by saying, "And if you guys were better parents, you'd accept him for who he is. Come on, Donald, you don't deserve to put up with this."

Monica flips his parents the bird while grabbing other Donald's wrist with her other hand.

"Donald, once you leave this house, you're not coming back," his father threatens, "Are you prepared for that?"

Donald looks between the horrified expressions of his parents to the resentful expressions of his companions. And with that, he makes the biggest decision of his life.

"Mom, Dad, if you can't accept me for who I am, then I can't live here. I'm sorry, but I'm moving out. But I do need sometime to figure out a place to move my stuff, if you would be so kind."

"Donald, we told that if you go, there's no turning back, son. We're disowning you. Once you leave, we're getting rid of all your stuff. If you want any of it, you can take it now," Donald's mother says sternly.

"Nonsense, you won't have to throw anything away," Ruth surprises Donald and his parents, "We can take all of it right now. In fact, I know someone with a truck that owes me a favor."

Ruth brings up her PokéGear and makes a call. Ruth starts talking to someone,

"Hey, Chuck, it's Ruth. I'm your mom's friend, remember? You remember that favor you owe me? Could you get a truck out here to Goldenrod City to pick up some stuff that belongs to a friend of mine? He's being disowned by his asshole parents, and they're going to throw out all of his stuff unless he can get it out right now. Uh huh. Uh huh. All right, I'll see you in 45 minutes. Thank you so much."

Ruth hangs up the phone, and addresses Donald and Monica,

"All right, you guys, let's start bringing Donald's stuff up from the basement. I'm having some guys who owe me a favor come by with a pickup truck to get his stuff, and take it back to my house in Cianwood City. There's certainly enough room there now ever since Calypso ran away.

And if anyone has any problems with this," Ruth says loudly in response to Donald's father standing up furiously again, "They can take it up with ME."

Donald's father sits down just as quickly as he got up.

Ruth turns back to Donald and Monica. "They'll be here in 45 minutes. We better start hauling ass to get your stuff up here."

Donald starts tearing up despite not wanting to show any weakness. "Thanks, Ruth," he says warmly.

Ruth gives both him and Monica a one armed hug, replying, "Anything for my two new grandkids."

'I can't believe these people I barely know accept me better than my actual parents,' Donald thinks to himself, "How pathetic." He's still grateful for the support, though.

Ruth, Monica, and Donald all start loading Donald's stuff upstairs outside of the front door. His parents watch furiously, but silently, afraid of Ruth's threatening demeanor.

"So I guess this sidetracks our plans quite a bit, huh," Donald questions disappointedly.

"Well, yeah, but this is more important right now. Donald, I can't believe you lived like this! If I had people constantly telling me what to do and who to be, I'd go crazy in a heartbeat," Monica exclaims dramatically.

Donald can't help but find her endearing for her dramatic comparison. It makes him feel more justified about his decision.

"Besides, if this Lyra plan that you came up with is meant to work out, she'll still be there when we're done packing up all your stuff," Ruth adds, "The Bug Catching Contest runs all day, and it's still early."

Donald smiles, relieved that his partners in crime don't feel burdened by this entire situation. If only his parents would have kept their mouths shut! But, he figures, if he doesn't live with them, then he doesn't have to listen to them. Which leads him to ask Ruth an important question,

"Were you serious about moving my stuff into your place? I don't know if you said that to get my dad to back off or what…?"

Ruth glances at him sharply, and retorts, "Of course I was serious. You kids were nice enough to bail me out of jail when I was in a really bad place. The least I can do is take you in when your asshole parents decide to disown you for who you are and who you love. I wasn't joking when I said you two are my new grandkids. My former granddaughter clearly doesn't care for me, so you guys can take her place."

Donald, Monica, and Ruth all start feeling emotions that they hardly knew existed. As they keep carrying stuff upstairs, a strong sense of companionship develops among the three.

45 minutes later, Ruth's friend Chuck and a few of his buddies arrive to start loading Donald's stuff into the large truck he's brought. First comes the massive amount of computer equipment. Then, all of the costumes from Donald's closet come next. And finally come all of his basic necessities like his bed, clothes, and toiletries.

Donald's parents are astonished to see their basement empty for the first time in 10 years.

"All right, Ruth, we have everything packed up! It'll take an hour to get it to Olivine City, where we'll order a Ferry to ship the stuff to Cianwood City. All in all, it'll be between two to three hours before we can get it all back. If I give you a half hour warning, do you guys think you can be there by then to help us unload the stuff into your house, Ruth," Chuck confirms with her.

"Yeah, that'll be fine. Thanks so much for your help, Chuck. We'll see you in a few hours after we take care of some business."

Chuck and his crew wave goodbye to the three, speeding down the road and onto Goldenrod's Main Street.

"All right, now that we have that taken care of, we should head out to National Park to see if we can catch up to Lyra," Ruth states energetically.

"Did you want to say goodbye to your parents before we head out, Donald," Monica whispers.

"I… I… I don't think so," Donald stutters as he looks back at the now-closed front door, "I think we had all the words we needed. We should really head up there if we have any chance of catching Lyra, though. Let's go," Donald powers through the pain.

His two companions follow him without a word, walking up through Goldenrod's Main Street and up through Route 35 to reach the National Park.

*Calypso's POV; Goldenrod City Pokémon Center; 8:30am*

"Ugh… five missed calls from JC? Wonder what's going on," I mumble as I close my PokéGear. They were all from around 7:35 to 8pm last night. I guess that call from JP was eventful.

I'm hoping that situation can wait until I can take a shower and get ready to head out. Thankfully, I remembered to do my laundry last night so I have clean clothes for after my shower.

I go to the communal Pokémon Center Women's Bathroom. There are showers in there, so I take about 15 minutes to shower, get dressed, and make sure my hair doesn't turn into a Tangela.

When I come back out from the shower area, I notice that Forest has awoken and is staring at the fading sunrise from the window.

"Hey, Forest, how are you doing from last night? I know you and the rest of the Team took quite a beating in the process of getting that Plain Badge."

'Feeling a little better. Miltank didn't do any lasting damage, thankfully. How are you doing after having confronted Monica like you did?'

"I'm doing okay. I'll admit, telling Monica off and having Dusk totally wreck her team was pretty damn satisfying. But I can't help but feel like it might bite me in the ass in the future."

Forest hesitates before stating, 'I know that in the time that I've spent with you, you've pissed off a lot of people, Calypso. I'd be careful if I were you. Especially with your Gran on the loose again.'

"Yeah, I have a talent for pissing people off. It's usually because they piss me off first, though."

'You have a fair point there,' Forest acknowledges, 'Where are you planning on going next?'

"Well, I'm probably going to take you guys to Route 35 to train, then try to head up to Ecruteak City. I've got some business there to take care of, and the next Gym is up there too. So I figure training on the way will prepare us enough to take them out."

'Sounds like a plan,' Forest says as he climbs up to sit on my right shoulder, 'Let's head out!'

"Okay! Oh, wait, I have to call JC first! She called me a bunch of times last night, and I want to make sure that she's okay from whatever happened last night. Hang on just a sec, okay," I ask Forest as I pull out my PokéGear to call her.

The phone rings, and rings, and rings. But she doesn't pick up. I find that odd, especially because she's usually up by 6 am everyday. I ring her again. No answer. Three more times. No answer.

"Well, the path that goes up to Ecruteak City crosses with the route that connects it to Violet City. If I don't hear from her by noon today, we'll go back around to Route 32 to check on her. Sounds good to you, Forest?"

'Yep,' Forest confirms as we start walking north through Goldenrod City and up through the checkpoint to Route 35.

*Lyra's POV; 8:15am, Route 35*

The bright sunlight woke Marill and I up around a half hour ago. It didn't take long for me to get ready because I'm so excited for the Bug Catching Contest today! I'm hoping Marill and I can catch a really rare Bug Pokémon that wins the Contest, and then I can bring it back to Professor Elm to study.

Marill and I finally finish packing up the tent. It's about a five minute walk from our campsite to the entrance to the National Park. While we walk, I can't help but feel like we're being watched. I can tell that Marill is also feeling the heebie-jeebies, as she's extremely alert of her surroundings and the hair on the back of her neck is raised.

"You feeling what I'm feeling, Marill," I ask as I look down at her again, "Someone is watching us."

Marill starts walking closer to me, her anxiety off the charts. I don't blame her. I feel the same way.

We start to feel better when we finally get to the more Trainer populated area outside of the National Park Checkpoint. I can still feel the burning eyes on me, but they disappear instantly when I go through the checkpoint.

I'm relieved to see an attendant at the entrance to the National Park. He beckons me forth, asking if I'm participating in today's Bug Catching Contest. I answer yes, so he asks me which one of my Pokémon I want to help catch the Bug Pokémon.

I thought about it for a bit and decided that Clefairy would be the best for this. She can put Pokémon to sleep using Sing, and she can slowly dwindle down their HP with her Doubleslap and Pound attacks.

"I'll be using my Clefairy."

I hand him the Poké Balls of Bayleef and Marill.

"All right, Marill, I'm leaving you and Bayleef with this nice man for only twenty minutes while Clefairy and I do the Bug Catching Contest, okay? I'll be back soon!"

Marill starts panicking when Clefairy and I go to leave, but to my astonishment, the attendant starts scratching Marill behind her ears. It takes her off her off guard initially, but she relaxes after a few moments of being pet. I know she'll be okay when I hear her start to purr in content.

'He's good,' I can't help but think to myself as Clefairy and I proceed through the National Park Checkpoint.

The moment we pass through the checkpoint, I can feel the same paralyzing glare that was following us before. Clefairy can also sense it, her hair standing up on end.

My heart is pounding wildly from the anxiety of knowing that someone is watching and following me. To gain a grip on my composure, we choose to sit down on the first set of benches that we see. Holding my head in my hands, I whisper to Clefairy,

"I don't know if I can do this, Clefairy… We have twenty minutes to catch a Bug Pokémon, and I don't know if I can do it under this much stress. Should we just leave and tell Professor Elm that we got attacked by a swarm of wild Beedrill? Oh, I don't know what we should do, Clefairy!"

'If we don't do this now, we'll have to wait another two days before we can try it again. Let's just get it over with!'

Clefairy goes to lead me towards the grasses in the next section of the park, when we hear an odd rustling from the trees nearby. Clefairy and I jump in fright, a loud "Mrow!" coming from behind us. Then, I hear an ominous voice whisper,

"Sylvester, use your Hypnosis."

Clefairy and I try to run away, but the Hypnosis catches us before we can make a run for it. I can feel myself start to doze off into a sleep that I never wanted to fall into. As I'm forced into slumber, I can hear three voices bickering over who has to drag me through the woods. I pass out just as someone throws me over their shoulder roughly.

*Third POV; National Park*

"Ugh, why do I have to carry her? I already had Sylvester put her to sleep! You should be doing this part, Donald," an irritated Ruth says as she carries an unconscious Lyra unseen through the National Park woods.

"Yeah, Donald, what are we going to do with her now? You said that if we kidnapped her that it would help us get back at Calypso. How are we going to do that," Monica whines to him.

"Have you two forgotten what your positions are? Ruth, you're the muscle, Monica, you're the money, and I'm the brains. Of course I've thought about what we're going to do with her! I'm going to use her PokéGear to call Calypso and tell her to come here alone if she ever wants to see her friend alive again. When she gets here, we'll all jump her, take all her money, and steal her Pokémon. That should teach her a lesson she'll never forget."

"Well, get on with it, then! I did my part of the job, now it's time for you to do yours," Ruth growls to Donald.

"Fine, I'm doing it," Donald gripes back as he undoes Lyra's PokéGear from her wrist. Finding Calypso's number in her contact list, he dials it. All three hold their breath as the phone starts to ring…

*Calypso's POV; Route 35*

Forest and I are traveling the entirety of Route 35, battling trainers throughout the route. Along the way, the Team and I are training by battling the trainers along the route. All of them battle at least once, but a couple of them make strides in their training.

Zellie is the star of the Team training wise. She jumps from Level 14 to Level 16 by defeating a Level 15 Vulpix, a Level 13 Sandshrew, two Digletts, Levels 10 and 14, two Magmars, Levels 11 and 16, and two Level 14 Growlithes.

Cyndi battles a lot too, and gains enough experience to grow to Level 22. She fights a Level 16 Pikachu, four different leveled Voltorbs (Levels 2, 6, 10, and 14), a Level 12 Pidgey, and a Level 14 Pidgeotto.

Spirit, Dusk, and Forest all defeat one opponent apiece, a Level 15 Venonat, a Level 10 Zubat, and a Level 15 Marill, respectively. All three of them only need a tiny amount of experience to level up from their previous battles, so they level up to Level 20, Level 19, and Level 17, respectively. Dusk ends up replacing her Spite attack in order to learn the move Mean Look, while Forest has the opportunity to learn Stun Spore, but he decides he likes his current moves better.

Now with the Team having all gained a level, I feel confident in going up through the National Park to get to Route 36 and Ecruteak City. I could have Forest use Cut to take a shortcut to Route 36, but I figure that my team could use the experience of battling the Trainers in National Park before we consider challenging the Ecruteak Gym. Besides, before Lyra left, she said she had to do something for Professor Elm in National Park. I forgot what it was…

"Ring…! Ring…" My PokeGear starts screeching on my wrist. Looking down, I immediately answer the phone when I see that it's Lyra calling.

"Hey, Lyra, what's going on? Are you having fun in National Park? There must be a lot of strong trainers there," I ask her, wondering if the battle experience would be worth the trip up through there or whether I should take the HM01 shortcut through Route 35 to Route 36.

Lyra doesn't answer after a second or two of silence, but I can hear someone breathing on the other line of the phone. Lyra wouldn't do something weird like this. I think something's off.

"Hey, Lyra, are you there? You're the one who called me, remember," I inquire slowly. I'm hoping she answers me this time.

To my astonishment, it's not Lyra's voice that I hear on the other line, but a random male's voice. The voice is familiar, but I can't quite tell from where.

"If you ever want to see your friend Lyra again alive, meet me in the left hand corner of the bottom half of National Park. Come alone, and don't call the police, or you'll find her dead body floating in the fountain tomorrow."

His brazen threat stumps me silent for a few seconds before I angrily retort,

"Sure, I'll come alone, but when I get there, I'm beating the shit out of you for kidnapping my friend! Who the hell do you even think you are, anyway?!"

"I am your worst nightmare, Calypso Aspen Primrose! And if you ever want to see Lyra alive again, come to where I told you in the next five minutes! Tick tock, tick tock, time's a wastin'," the sinister but familiar male voice taunts me before hanging up the phone abruptly.

I instantly grab my skateboard and start riding towards the southern entrance of the National Park. The only thought in my mind as I ride hastily towards it is,

"I can't lose another one of my people. I just can't."


	19. A Date To Remember

*JC's POV; Route 32 Pokémon Center; 9:00am*

I called and asked one of my cousins, Nurse Joy Deanna (JD) if she'd be willing to cover my Route 32 shifts for the next two days. The last two days have been confusing enough. I need some time to figure some things out. Until then, I'm using some money that I saved up to buy myself a decent hotel room in Goldenrod City for the next two days, seeing as I usually live at the Route 32 Pokémon Center. I haven't had a vacation in years. I deserve this.

Speaking of figuring things out, it took me thinking and staying up half the night to finally sort through my emotions about this whole JP thing. It took me realizing that no one but me could've helped me make this decision. I decided that I need to get my big girl pants on and finally tell JP how I feel.

I don't usually do first moves like this. To feel more confident, I put on my favorite outfit, and I undo my hair, letting my natural curls fall loose. I also put on a pair of my favorite boots that I never wear, and when I walk in them on the hardwood floor, I hear them click loudly. I don't think I've ever felt this powerful before, like I could do anything I ever wanted. And what I want to do now is call JP.

"Come on, Joy, you can do this," I whisper to myself before I dial JP's phone number on my PokéGear.

*Third Person POV; Violet City; 9:05am*

Officer Jenny Paige returns to the Violet City Police Station from doing one of her usual duties. She has just broken up another physical disagreement between two trainers on Route 31. She figures the kids are just bratty teenagers, but she can't help but feel paranoid that more and more instances of this have been happening lately. Like the world needs more violence.

Walking up to her room in the Station, JP collapses on her bed in exhaustion. She's only been awake for three hours, and on duty for two. How many crazy things can happen in two hours? So many things, JP learned today.

The trainer disagreement was just the last call she'd had in her string of wild adventures.

JP had to save a random 10-year-old from an intensely angry Wild Weedle that he'd accidentally provoked in Route 31.

She was also called to the home of an elderly woman in Violet City, and had to perform CPR on her because she had a heart attack and stopped breathing. She was grateful that she went because she did end up saving the woman's life.

Her second-to-last call ended up being a fake call in; A man was angry at his wife, so he called and claimed she was abusing the children. JP was sent to her home to check on her and the kids, and there was literally no sign of abuse. Just lies.

JP's exhaustion causes her to almost pass out on the bed immediately, but a sudden ringing alerts her into consciousness again.

She holds her wrist up to her face, her eyes scanning over the phone screen. JP screams when she realizes it's JC calling.

"Oh my Arceus, OH MY ARCEUS," JP can't help but bellow nervously.

Trying to regain any composure she had before JC called, JP gulps loudly before answering,

"Hello, Officer Jenny Paige speaking…"

"Hey, JP, it's JC," JC's dreamy voice floats into the phone, sending pleasant shivers down JP's spine. The Officer never realized how much she enjoyed her favorite Nurse's voice.

"Hey, JC! I'm so glad you called! What's going on," JP babbles excitedly.

JC's confidence almost falters, but she manages to continue on strongly,

"JP, would you like to go out for drinks sometime?"

JP's squealing is so loud that JC has to hold the phone away from her ear. The butterflies that were in JC's stomach before she asked the question are finally free and fly up to her heart. She knows she made the right decision when JP cries delightedly,

"Nothing would make me happier, JC! When do you want to go? I'm on a 15 minute break right now, but I'll be off work at 3 today!"

JC considers this for a moment. Is she ready to try and spend time with JP as a potential life partner?

"Yeah, I made some plans in Goldenrod City for the next couple of days because I needed to go on vacation. Would you want to meet me at the Goldenrod Department Store after you get off work, and we can go up the rooftop and have some drinks before maybe going to dinner and the Goldenrod Flower Shop? I think it'd be a good time."

JP squeals again before answering, "Yes, that sounds amazing! A million times yes!"

JC feels a warmth in her heart for JP than she's ever had for any other person she's ever liked.

"I'm glad you're so excited, because I'm excited too. It took a lot of thinking to finally figure that I like you, Jenny Paige. I really do," JC says sincerely.

"I like you, too, Joy Cameron! Oh my Arceus, is this real? Am I dreaming," JP questions happily.

"No, you're not, JP. And that's the best part."

*Calypso's POV; Route 35-National Park; 8:33am*

I am in such a hurry to rescue Lyra that I skateboard through the southern checkpoint, despite the guard's protests, and an odd voice in the back of my head saying, "Now's not the time to use that," that vaguely sounds like Professor Oak.

I hope I'm not going crazy like Silver always insists that I am. That Ginger Head Man.

I skateboard straight to the corner they told me. I immediately feel several pairs of eyes on me, so I know that whoever did this is definitely hiding in the woods.

"Hey, it's Calypso! I'm here on time, just like I said I would be! Now, where are you, bitches? Show yourselves," I command the fuckheads who kidnapped Lyra.

I slowly see three figures emerge from behind the trees. It's definitely a trio I never thought would ever meet, let alone, connect.

"Gran… Monica… and Donald? What the fuck? How did you guys even meet each other," I ask in bewilderment.

"Now, I know you don't believe in coincidences, Calypso, but it was in fact, a case of being in the right place at the right time," Gran dares speak to me. The old hag's voice hasn't changed a bit since I last saw her.

"You know nothing about me. You have no idea what I believe anymore, Ruth. Anyway, you're legally not allowed to be within 100 yards of me. So do you mind telling me why all you clowns are here, and why the fuck you kidnapped Lyra before I kick your asses," I threaten sinisterly.

"It's simple, freak, you happened to ruin all our lives and piss us off enough that we want revenge. So now you gotta take what you dished out," Monica exclaims while balling her fists together.

"I took Dusk because you were abusing her! You deserved everything I threw at you, you dumb bitch! Now return Lyra and leave before I have to defend myself!"

"YOU RUINED MY BIRTHDAY," Monica starts screeching, "YOU STOLE MY POKÉMON, AND YOU DYED MY HAIR LIME GREEN! FUCK YOU! DO YOU EVEN KNOW HOW LONG IT TOOK TO GET THAT OUT?"

"Don't know, don't care. Now give me back Lyra before I-"

"SHUT UP," Donald breaks his silence, "YOU HUMILIATED ME IN FRONT OF MY CRUSH! YOU COULDN'T JUST BEAT ME, YOU HAD TO LET THE WHOLE UNDERPASS KNOW I COULDN'T EVEN LAY A HIT ON YOUR POKÉMON! I'VE COULD'VE ASKED HIM OUT, AND HAD A CHANCE TO BE HAPPY, BUT YOU RUINED IT!"

"I don't owe any of you guys anything," I shout at them while slowly backing up and maneuvering my bag off my shoulders, "Ruth, you beat me with a belt for most of my childhood, and now you have to pay for it! Monica, you verbally abused a Pokémon, and you have no right to see her anymore! And Donald… well, you're just a sore loser!"

The trio's anger intensifies as they stomp towards me, while I'm focusing on getting my bag off my shoulders inconspicuously. No such luck.

"What are you doing with your bag, freak," Monica says while lunging towards me in a frenzy. She grabs onto one handle while I maintain my grip on the other. She starts pulling like crazy, and I can't help but feel surprised at how strong she is.

"Let go, clown face! I need my knife so I can stab you and run," I scream at her while tugging my bag back.

"Not a chance, freak! On my dead body," Monica ennounciates as she makes a final powerful pull, sending her crashing backwards, and my bag flying into the air. Knowing that Professor Elm's Egg is in there, I shout panickingly,

"NO, NOT THE EGG! SOMEBODY CATCH THAT BAG!"

To my astonishment, the tie on the bag is loose enough that the Egg comes flying out of the bag. I'm able to catch my bag, but the Egg keeps flying.

Monica recovers in time to see the Egg falling towards her. In a last ditch effort, Monica dives to catch and save the Egg, to my relief.

To everyone else's surprise, the Egg starts wiggling in her arms, before a large crack appears in the middle. A few more cracks appear, and finally a Baby Pokémon hatches from the Egg!

"Togi togi pree," the Togepi squeals while smiling at Monica.

"What a baby," Monica squeals while cradling Togepi.

"Ah, sweet! I can go back and show Professor Elm what kind of Pokémon Togepi is," I say excitedly.

Monica looks back to glare at me before wrapping Togepi tighter in her arms. "If you think you are taking this baby out of my arms, you've got another thing coming. It's only fair that I get to keep Togepi when you stole my Jessica."

"But I promised Professor Elm that I'd show him what kind of Pokémon Togepi is," I plead with them, "So if you're not going to give him to me, I'm afraid I'm going to have to take him by force."

"Ha, you and what army? You know your pathetic team has no chance of defeating a seasoned Trainer like Ruth," Donald tries to stump me.

"That doesn't mean I can't try," I snarl back at them.

"Don't you dare try to hurt my new grandbabies," Ruth growls at me, "You've done enough damage to all of our lives. I'm going to beat you to the point where you finally learn your lesson! Get your team ready, little girl. Prepared to be slaughtered!"

"I'm just as much of a little girl as you are a beautiful woman, you old hag! You're on," I challenge her.

We are about to send out our Pokémon when we hear a husky voice shout,

"WAIT!"

*JP's POV; 3:00pm; Goldenrod City*

It takes me around a half hour to drive my motorcycle from Violet City, up through Route 36, down Route 35, in order to finally reach Goldenrod City. The funny thing is that the entire ride only felt like it took five minutes. I guess time really does fly when you're having fun.

Speaking of fun, I'm so excited for this day that JC has planned for me! Having already changed into a tee shirt with jeans and boots, I'm ready for any adventure she has to throw at me! I even let my hair down, so I'm definitely up for some fun.

I'm still in a state of euphoria from when JC told me she liked me back earlier. I'll admit, I thought it would take longer for her to call than it did. I'm still not convinced this isn't just an amazing dream, but I'm definitely going with it until it proves not to be.

I park my bike in the parking lot next to the Goldenrod Department Store. Walking up to the doors, I can feel the anticipation of getting up to the roof to meet JC. The cool breeze of the fans lessens my anxiety as I walk in, thankfully. I know I shouldn't be anxious because of such a good thing, but I can't help but feel like I want to bounce off the walls right now.

I look between the elevator and the escalators. Both have their pros and cons. The elevator will get me there quicker, but if it decides to shut down, I'll be stuck inside. The escalators are slower, but I'm unlikely to be attacked there.

I ride the escalators all the way up to the rooftop. When I finally arrive, the first thing I see is JC's beaming smile, and a twinkle in her eyes that makes my heart soar instantly.

"Hey, JP, over here," she beckons me over adorably while grinning cutely when I sit down across from her.

I've never seen JC in anything other than her Nurse's outfit. So, to see her in street clothes is refreshing, but a little odd. She's wearing a periwinkle sweater with blue jeans and brown boots. This outfit wouldn't be remarkable to me on anyone else, but I can't help but think it looks so cute on her.

I can't help but blush at her beauty and enthusiasm, but she mistakes it for distress.

"You okay, JP? You're all red! Are you sure you're feeling all right," she asks me in concern.

"Oh, believe me, JC, this is the best I've felt in a long time," I state confidently, "I feel like I've just gained a little piece of me that I didn't know was missing for so long. I can't explain it, but being with you brings up feelings I didn't even know I had."

It's her turn to blush this time, and to my horror, she lowers her head in her lap.

"I hope I didn't cross any boundaries! I know this is our first date, and I hope I'm not being too forward," I hastily word vomit, but to my surprise, she shakes her head and starts giggling.

"No, you're good, JP. No one has ever said anything that nice about how they feel about me. If anything, I'm flattered," JC beams at me, and I can't help but feel relieved that I didn't cross any boundaries.

"So, did you wanna grab a drink from the vending machines? I figured that I'd pay since I am the one who got us into this in the first place," I offer to JC.

JC nods, and replies, "Sure, if you could grab me a Lemonade, that would be awesome."

I walk over to the vending machine, Poké money in hand. I decide to grab a Fresh Water for myself because I need to stay on the leaner side for my job, while I also get JC's Lemonade. Bringing them both back to the table, I slide the Lemonade to JC while twisting open the bottle cap on my Fresh Water. Taking a swig, I feel refreshed, not realizing how dehydrated I was.

"So how was your day at work," JC asks.

"Honestly, exhausting," I can't help but reply, "I started at nine this morning, and let me tell you, it has been a shit show."

"Like, as bad as when Monica and her friends made my boss write me up when I was covering for my cousin Jojo in Cherrygrove City," JC questions.

I pause for a second, thinking of this situation, and then I abruptly shake my head. "No, not quite as bad as that. I had like four different calls today, and they were all annoying in their own ways. How was your day?"

"Not bad. I took some time off from work for a couple of days, so I've been a lot less stressed today. I'm feeling a lot better now than I have in the last week," JC says contentedly.

All of a sudden, I feel a warm pressure on my left hand. JC is holding my hand! I intertwine her fingers with mine, while a strong sense of warmth develops between us. I smile delightedly as we stare into each others' eyes...

*Third Person POV*

Calypso turns around, and almost bursts into tears at the appearance of a very familiar face. A tiny but intimidating woman walks up to them. She can't but more than 4'11", with short, spiky black hair held up in a small side-ponytail. She is dressed in alternative gear: a leather corset, canvas cargo pants, and black combat boots, accessorized with a studded belt, studded wristbands, and dark eye makeup.

"This isn't a fair fight," Tina's husky voice soothes Calypso, "Ruth, both you and I know that your level far surpasses Calypso's at this point. Therefore, battling her now would be highly immoral. She has three Gym badges, and you have what, seven? If you want a fight, Ruth, I'm on a similar level, and we have some business to finish up from the past. Come on, I'm all yours."

"Tina…" Calypso whispers emotionally. Tina winks at her, and walks up to wrap her arm around Calypso's shoulder.

"I'm sorry I wasn't always there for ya, baby girl. I tried my hardest to be, but unfortunately this hag made it extremely difficult," Tina apologizes while giving her a one handed shoulder hug.

"It's okay, Tina. You're here now, and I know you tried," Calypso whispers back to her while turning around to fully embrace her in a hug.

"Hmmph, you weren't fit to be her guardian 13 years ago, and you're still not fit to be her guardian now. Let's get this battle over with so I can finally prove that I'm your superior," Ruth barks at Tina harshly.

"You were literally arrested for physical child abuse because you beat Calypso with a belt multiple times. Don't think I ever read about that in the Johto News? I have no idea how you can sit on your high Rapidash and claim to be an amazing guardian, when you're literally the opposite. You're evil, and I'm looking forward to beating you down," Tina responds maliciously.

Monica and Donald sit one one bench while Calypso sits on the other one with Cyndi out to protect her from a potential surprise attack from any of them.

"How do you wanna do this, old hag? Do you wanna do a short but sweet 3 on 3 battle or did you want to go full traditional 6 on 6," Tina asks boldly.

"Well, seeing as I am a traditional woman, and I want to beat you to your core, I think a 6 on 6 battle would be best," Ruth replies promptly.

"Fine, as a courtesy to you as a Trainer, I'll send out my Pokémon first. Go, Cerberus!"

Tina sends out a male Level 47 Houndoom.

"Oh my, what a scoundrel," Ruth exclaims, "but my Miss Piggy will take care of him," she finishes, sending out her Level 42 Piloswine.

Tina starts aggressively, "Cerberus, use Flamethrower!"

"Miss Piggy, dodge it and use Earthquake!"

Cerberus' speed far surpasses Miss Piggy's, and he hits her straight on with the Flamethrower. Since Piloswine is half Ice type, the move is super effective.

Miss Piggy has to stop, drop, and roll to try to get the fire put out, but when she stops rolling, it's revealed that she's fainted.

"Oh no," Ruth exclaims sadly, "Your beast brutalized my Miss Piggy! You'll pay for this!"

"You're just mad that you got burned. Now it's your turn to send out a Pokémon, dear Ruth," Tina prompts her mockfully.

"You're the one who is going to get burned! Go Maggie," Ruth sends out a Level 39 female Magmar.

"Hey, I'll do the thing that you were trying to do to me, but I'll succeed," Tina says as she sends out her Level 46 Donphan, 'Fanny.'

"You won't get a chance," Ruth announces, "Maggie, use Confuse Ray!"

"Fanny, dodge it and use Earthquake!"

Maggie is faster than Fanny despite their seven level difference, and she accurately shoots a Confuse Ray at her. Fanny wobbles around in confusion, and when she tries to use her Earthquake, she accidently hurts herself by 1/8th of her HP.

"Ha," Ruth revels in her first triumph, "Maggie, use your Lava Plume!"

"Come on, Fanny, you can do this," Tina encourages her, "Snap out of confusion, and use your Earthquake again!"

Fanny manages to snap out of her confusion, but she's too slow to dodge Maggie's Lava Plume. It reduces her HP to a little under half.

"Don't let her get away with it, Fanny! Finish her with your Earthquake!"

Unfortunately for Maggie, she has nowhere to run away from Fanny's super-effective Earthquake on the battlefield. The earth swallows her up, and when it spits her back out, she faints.

"That was a dirty trick," Ruth spouts at Tina as she recalls Maggie, but Tina just shakes her head satisfiedly.

"You're just mad that I pulled off the same type match-up you tried and failed. Anyway, it's my turn to send out a Pokémon! Go Serpentine," Tina lets out her strongest Pokémon, a level 48 Arbok.

"Hmmph, I suppose you're going to try to poison me with that Arbok. So I'll send out a Pokémon that can paralyze you. Miss Fluffypants, assist me," Ruth sends out a Level 40 Flaaffy.

"Hey, wait," Calypso calls out in confusion, "Doesn't Flaaffy evolve in Ampharos at level 30? Why didn't you let your Flaaffy evolve?"

"Flaaffy turn ugly when they evolve into Ampharos. Lose that beautiful wool coat for some stat changes? No, siree. Miss Fluffypants is just as powerful as she would've been if she had evolved. I gave her an Everstone so I wouldn't have to cancel her evolution every time," Ruth answers distastefully.

"She gets it," Monica exclaims from the sideline, "Have you seen the Pokémon that my little Honey Bear evolves into? So scary! We've talked and agreed that she's going to get stronger as the Pokémon she is."

Calypso can't help but feel a little sick because of Ruth's intentions behind not wanting her Flaaffy to evolve. Ignoring the nausea for now, Calypso watches the battle continue on,

"Serpentine, use Poison Jab," Tina instructs.

"Miss Fluffypants, use your Discharge," Ruth counters.

Serpentine is faster, so she strikes Miss Fluffypants with the Poison Jab. Just as predicted, the hit poisons Miss Fluffypants, while also reducing her HP to a fourth. Then, the damage from the poison reduces it to a fifth. It's not looking good for Ruth right now. Calypso can't help but smile a little bit.

Unfortunately for Tina, having Serpentine physically attack Miss Fluffypants unlocked her Ability, Static, which paralyzes upon contact, halfing Serpentine's speed, and reducing her chance to attack to 25%.

Serpentine's reduced speed gives Miss Fluffypants an opportunity to use her Discharge atrack. She hits Serpentine for a third of her HP in damage.

"Serpentine, come on, you can do it! Finish it out with Mud Bomb," Tina cheers her on through the paralysis.

"Miss Fluffypants, continue the onslaught with another Discharge," screams Ruth.

Still with the speed advantage, Miss Fluffypants unleashes another Discharge on Serpentine, reducing her HP to a third.

Despite being paralyzed, Serpentine manages to hurl her Mud Bomb directly at Miss Fluffypants' face, knocking her out instantly.

"Arrggh, I can't believe this is happening," Ruth shouts frustratedly while recalling Miss Fluffypants.

"Believe it, sweetheart," Tina jeers, "I've been training for this moment for 13 years. You deserve all of this! Now choose your next Pokémon!"

"You've forced me to send out my most powerful Pokémon! Go Sweetums," Ruth sends out her Level 43 Wigglytuff, Sweetums.

"I already have a solution to this problem! Go Aero," Tina sends out her Level 47 Lucario.

"Sweetums, use your Sing," Ruth calls out.

"Aero, don't give him a chance! Use your Aura Sphere," Tina shouts in response.

Aero launches an Aura Sphere in the time it takes for Sweetums to open his mouth. The Sphere hits him for an instant KO.

"AHHH, I HATE YOU, YOU FREAKSHOW! YOU'RE JUST LIKE CALYPSO, SHOWING UP AND RUINING MY LIFE," Ruth screams at Tina like a maniac.

Tina raises an eyebrow in response. "Angry words screamed by a desperate woman. I always hoped I'd get to see you in this position, Ruth. Knowing that over half of your Pokémon are fainted, and knowing you have no chance of winning? This is just a dream. Four down, two to go. Go, Einstein," Tina finishes by sending out her Level 47 Metagross.

"Sylvester, take the stage," Ruth continues on agitatedly, sending out her Level 40 Purugly.

"Einstein, use Hammer Arm," Tina directs Einstein.

"Sylvester, use Hypnosis," Ruth commands.

Sylvester outspeeds Einstein in order to land his Hypnosis attack. Einstein instantly falls asleep, to Tina's frustration.

"Come on, Einstein, wake up and use Hammer Arm!"

Taking this opportunity to attack, Ruth calls out, "Sylvester, use Faint Attack!"

Sylvester attacks Einstein with Faint Attack, but it only reduces their HP by a 10th due to Einstein's high Defense stat.

"Ha, is that all you got? I hope that's not your best move, or you'll be in for a bad time," Tina comments smartly.

Ruth sweats, knowing that Faint Attack is Sylvester's best move against Einstein, considering his other moves are Normal type. She knows it's only a matter of a few turns before that massive supercomputer awakens and knocks her fluffy kitty out cold with one move. She knows she needs to stall and attack for as long as she can. But the question is: How long can Sylvester keep this up?

"Yes, it is our best move. Right now, at least. Sylvester, keep it up! Keep using Faint Attack!"

Sylvester hits the sleeping Einstein for another 10th of their HP in damage.

"Come on, Einstein, wake up," Tina begs Einstein, who doesn't respond.

"Keep hitting it with your Faint Attack, Sylvester," Ruth shouts out.

Sylvester gets another two Faint Attacks in, reducing Einstein's HP to 3/5ths.

"EINSTEIN, WAKE UP ALREADY, AND USE HAMMER ARM," Tina screams frustratedly.

Einstein finally rises from their deep sleep, angry that they were forced into it in the first place.

"Sylvester, use Hypnosis again," Ruth cries out desperately, but her luck runs out as Sylvester's Hypnosis misses.

Einstein takes no time in raising their massive arm, and heaving it down upon Sylvester for an instant KO. Tina praises and recalls Einstein before taunting Ruth,

"So… this is it. One battle left to go. Got anything to say before we waste your last Pokémon, Ruth?"

Ruth feels tears running down her face seeing her precious team of Pokémon being taken down one by one. Now, with only one Pokémon remaining, she gulps nervously before recalling a fainted Sylvester, and sending out her final Pokémon, Fafnir, a Level 41 Dragonair.

"This is my last stand," Ruth says emotionally, "Take your best shot."

"Will do," Tina answers firmly, sending out her last Pokémon, Tundra, a Level 46 Froslass.

Ruth pales immediately upon seeing the Ice/Ghost type Pokémon. She knows that with the type matchup, it's unlikely that Fafnir will last a single turn, but she figures that they might as well go out fighting.

"Fafnir, use Dragon Rush," Ruth makes her final move.

"Tundra, end this battle with your Ice Beam!"

Tundra's speed overpowers Fafnir, and Tundra hits Fafnir with her Ice Beam. She gets a critical super-effective hit, knocking out Fafnir instantly.

Calypso and Cyndi get up and cheer, prompting Monica and Donald to yell obscenities at them in response.

Ruth has no feelings left as she recalls her fallen Fafnir.

Tina smiles as she recalls Tundra. "You've lost the battle, Ruth, now give up the Pokémon! You know that Togepi legally belongs to Calypso. Hand him over," Tina turns to Monica holding Togepi in her arms.

"Kids," Ruth looks to Monica and Donald, "RUN!"

Monica and Donald hightail it behind the benches and into the National Park woods. Ruth follows swiftly, Calypso, Cyndi, and Tina following immediately behind. It's only when Calypso trips on an unconscious Lyra and her unconcious Clefairy that they halt in their pursuit.

"Tina, wait! This is my friend that those three kidnapped. I need to make sure she's alright," Calypso exclaims to Tina.

"You're fine. I'll keep chasing after them while you take care of your friend. Meet up with me in Ecruteak City in the Dance Theater after you're done. I'll see you later," Tina says as she sprints away farther into the woods.

Calypso tries to shake Lyra awake while Cyndi lick's Clefairy's face. After a few seconds, they awaken.

"Calypso, what's going on? The last thing I remember is hearing a loud 'Mrow!', and then I blacked out," Lyra says dizzily, holding her head up with one hand.

"It's a long story, but basically, Ruth and two other people kidnapped you in order to lure me here. I confronted them here, and I was about to battle Ruth before my friend Tina came and battled in my place. She won, but Monica managed to steal my Pokémon and the three of them ran off. Well, I am glad I was able to get to you before you got hurt, though. I couldn't lose somebody else," Calypso ends morosely.

"You came all the way here to rescue Clefairy and I," Lyra questions in disbelief.

"Of course, I'm the one who got you into this in the first place. I'm so sorry I dragged you into this, Lyra," Calypso apologizes.

"Don't apologize," Lyra says, "I already got into this when I promised Professor Elm that I would look after you, and I refuse to break promises. Thank you for rescuing me."

"No problem, Lyra, you're my friend, of course I'm going to rescue you," Calypso responds, "So, do you wanna come with me to Route 36 so I can go up to meet Tina in Ecruteak City and you can head back to Goldenrod City or New Bark Town, or wherever you're heading?"

"Sure, Clefairy and I will probably head to New Bark Town to let Professor Elm know what's happened. We'll probably have to do the Bug Catching Contest another day, anyway. But Clefairy and I will go with you, and I'll heal your Pokémon if you battle any Trainers on the way," Lyra offers.

"Sure, that sounds great! Thank you so much, Lyra," Calypso exclaims happily.

"Hey, no problem," Lyra blushes.

So Calypso and Lyra travel Route 36, Calypso and her team battling Trainers along the way.

Calypso takes on Psychic Mark, who has two Level 14 Abras and a Level 16 Kadabra. Dusk takes out the Abras, while Spirit takes out the Kadabra.

We also have no problem taking out School Kid Alan and his Level 17 Tangela. Cyndi fries it with her Flame Wheel. Despite this, he gives me his PokéGear number.

We finally come to the crossroads between the route going to Route 36 and the route leading to Violet City.

"Again, thank you so much for saving me," Lyra expresses her gratitude by hugging me. She squeezes a bit hard, but I return it with equal force.

"It's no problem. Stay safe, Lyra. Hopefully, we'll see each other again soon."

So Lyra and I go our separate ways. Off to Route 37 and Ecruteak City!

*JC's POV*

I've never felt this this much time with one person. Being with JP makes me feel alive in a way I've never felt before. I really enjoy spending time with her.

After finishing our drinks on the rooftop of the Goldenrod Department Store, I take JP to a ramen shop that I've been to before in Goldenrod City. We both eat a bowl of ramen while having a long conversation. I learn that JP's favorite color is orange, that she is the youngest of five sisters, and her favorite thing to do in her spare time is climbing trees with her Aipom, Pomskey.

I'm feeling a little tipsy and dizzy because the ramen shop owner offered us sake and we thought, "Why not?"

I kinda want to invite JP to come with me up to my hotel room, but I don't know if I want to be that forward. But I know playing it safe won't get me what I want.

"JP, I know this might be a little forward, but I got a hotel room in the Goldenrod Hotel. I had enough money to get one of the suites, because I wanted to go on vacation and relax. Would you want to come hang out with me there? There's a pool and hot tub in the hotel, and my room has a jacuzzi. We could have a great time," I spit out hastily, hoping I'm not scaring her.

JP's mouth is agape at my statement. When she regains her barings, she breaks out in a full grin, and bursts,

"Oh my Arceus, yes! I would love to, JC! I've been dreaming of this happening for a while now! I'm so excited, let's go! Oh, and I got paid so I can pay for room service! We are going to have so much fun!"

Squealing in excitement, I grab JP's hand, and we get up from our seats. We're a little wobbly because of the sake, but we manage to walk on without any stumbles.

I guide her to the hotel, where we take the elevator up to my room on the sixth floor. Opening the door with my key card, we stumble into the room, directly onto the king size bed.

"This bed is so comfy, JC! It makes me want to bounce on it," JP giggles gleefully as she rolls around. As she rolls my way, she accidently almost rolls on top of me. After realizing her mistake, she shifts her body around to face me.

"Your face is cute," JP says as she brushes my curls away from my face. I can hardly breathe with her so close to me. It's like I'm in a different reality. It feels like I'm in a fantasy, but I know this is real.

Suddenly, I notice her face slowly inching closer to mine. I almost lose the ability to breathe as I'm too focused on the pink of JP's lips right now. When she gets within an inch of my face, she stops to look at me passionately. The look in her eyes makes me inch forward, kissing her softly. She gasps in surprise, but quickly moans in pleasure and starts kissing back. After a minute or two, we break apart to breathe.

"That was amazing," JP whispers in happiness.

"I told you we're going to have a good time. With your permission, of course," I say smoothly.

"I'm in," JP responds briskly before immediately kissing me back to my surprise.

*Calypso's POV* *Route 36*

Before heading to Route 37, I remember that I need to call JC to make sure she is okay from earlier. I dial her number, and to my surprise, it rings for a while before going to voicemail. Another missed call? That's not normal for JC.

I look down to Cyndi, my only Pokémon out right now. "Do you think I should try calling again? She might have just missed it."

'Try one more time, and if she doesn't answer, we'll go see what's going on,' Cyndi suggests.

"Thanks, Cyndi, I'll try calling again," I say as I redial her number…

*JC's POV*

JP and I have been having fun in the jacuzzi. I was going to give her one of my swimsuits, but we discovered that we're differently proportioned. So we just stripped and went in naked instead, because, "Why not?"

Upon comparison, it seems that JP has bigger boobs while I have a bigger butt. Oh, the random things you notice especially when you're drunk are the best ones.

After making out for at least the tenth time, I hear my PokéGear ringing on the edge of the Jacuzzi where I put it for safekeeping. I decide to ignore it, the temptation of kissing JP too much to ignore. Our kissing is getting heated and we start grabbing each other when my PokéGear rings for the second time in a row.

Growling disappointedly, we stop for a second while I see who's calling me. I smile when I see it's Calypso! In my drunken stupor, I show JP who's calling. She screams at me to answer the phone, wanting to tell Calypso all the exciting things that have happened.

I answer, "Joy Cameron here, take a message," I can't help but say stupidly.

*Calypso's POV*

Upon calling for the second time, I finally get through to JC!

"Joy Cameron here, take a message," I hear JC's voice slurring. I hear someone else giggling along with her in the background.

I twinge my nose up in disbelief. "JC, are you drunk? What's going on? And who's with you?"

"HI CALYPSO," a loud voice I recognize as a drunk JP blathers at me through the phone.

"JP? JC? You're both drunk! Tell me what's going on right now," I demand concernedly.

After a moment or two of silence, JC speaks again, a bit more clarity in her voice this time.

"We're okay, Calypso, everything is okay. JP called me yesterday to tell me she loves me, so I set up a date for us today. We got dinner and drank sake, and now we're at my hotel room in Goldenrod. What's going on with you?"

"Well, that escalated quickly," I hear myself say aloud, "But I'm happy for you guys. Are you actually dating now? Wait, you're probably too drunk to answer that."

"That's a good question," JP intercepts, "Probably, but I think we'll find a definite answer when I'm not plastered. But like JC asked, what's going on with you, Calypso?"

"Oh, trust me, it's a lot," I sigh, "There's so much crazy stuff going on, but I have a feeling that if I tell you now, you probably won't remember it in the morning. JC, call me in the morning when you wake up, and I'll fill in the details. I hope you two have a good night."

JC and JP both thank me before hanging up the phone. I guess they were in a rush to get off the phone. Honestly, I don't blame them. They're probably so engrossed in one another just because neither of them has had a serious partner in the past.

Hell, I'd do the same thing if I had a hotel room with a certain Ginger Head Man, despite everything in my brain saying that's a bad idea. I haven't seen that Ginger Head Man since Azalea Town. Wonder when he's going to pop up and challenge me to a battle again. I'm looking forward to it.

For some reason, when thinking about the Ginger Head Man, my mind suddenly floats towards a certain brown haired girl with pigtails. I blush with intensity when I realize that I'm thinking about Lyra the same way I think about Silver.

I think about the hug she gave me earlier, and the repeated blushing that was going on. I can't help but think something more is going on there, but I also don't want to make any assumptions either. But Lyra was throwing me funny vibes so I don't know what's going on with that.

There's also another issue at hand. Do I even like girls? I know I like boys that look like girls, but do I actually like girls, too? Ugh, this is way too much to think about!

I decide to ignore my irritatedly mushy feelings in order to travel up through Route 37, battling all the Trainers throughout the route.

Zellie and Forest take on the Level 16 Mareep and Marill belonging to Twins Tori and Til. Forest takes out the Marill with one Vine Whip. Zellie isn't as fortunate, getting Thundershocked by Mareep for half of her HP in damage. She hits Mareep with her Water Gun for a fourth of her HP. Forest finishes the job, taking out the Mareep with a critical hit from another Vine Whip.

Next, Beauties Callie and Kassandra try to overwhelm me with a double battle of two sets of Level 16 Clefables and Wigglytuffs. I send out Cyndi and Spirit to take them on. They lose around HP their HP each in defeating them, but the experience is more worth it, skyrocketing Cyndi to Level 23, and Spirit to Level 21. Spirit has the opportunity to learn the move Night Shade, so she replaces Pursuit with Night Shade.

Finally, Dusk makes quick work of Psychic Greg, defeating his Level 17 Drowzee with her Astonish attack.

Having defeated all the Trainers, I leave Dusk out of her ball to come with me to get to Ecruteak City.

The grass leading up to the city is quiet, no Pokémon ambushing us as we walk through it. Reaching the city limits, I gasp in relief at seeing my hometown again for the first time in a while. I know I'm home.


End file.
